Kobe can't win (sniff)

After getting smoked in Game 2, it's clear the Lakers can't compete with this year's edition of the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers haven't beaten the Suns this season with Kobe in the lineup. When playing the Suns, the Lakers are faced with asking Kobe to get everyone involved and confident in an uptempo game and scoring at the end or have him try to score at will to keep his team in the game. Whatever effort he gives, the Lakers' terrible defense undercuts it. Either way Kobe can't win.

In Game 1, Kobe goes for 28 in the first half and pushed his team to a nine-point lead only to see the Suns heat up offensively and shut him down in the second half. In Game 2, Kobe looked to get everyone involved early and still got his looks for 13 in the first half only to see his team down 21 at the break. For some strange reason Kobe was reinserted into the blowout and he turned his ankle. Bryant finished with 15 points and five assists on the night.

After Game 2, Craig Sager interviewed a clearly frustrated Lamar Odom who said the team isn't "close" and the score was a clear indication of their lack of cohesion. Odom's frustration showed on his face after being blocked several times at the rim by Amare Stoudemire and with his hard foul on Steve Nash. Odom is supposed to be Kobe's wingman but he's playing hurt. He's helpful but he's just another piece on a team of pieces.

During this series, I've been reading the Lakers blogs and LA news sites to read from people who watch the team all-season. The team has an all-world talent in Kobe but they aren't a team. They have several pieces who could step in at any moment and hit shots or get exploited defensively. Injuries have derailed any sense of identity the team has. They changed their starting point to a rookie who was double dipping in D-League games the last few weeks. Their top free agent signing isn't playing and 3/5 of their starting lineup is playing hurt. It's easy to underestimate this team because they aren't cohesive and their star has been forced to carry them and they are far too willing to let him do it.

On all the boards, it's suggestions about how to change the lineups and who they need to fix the team. At best, Kobe can blowup and put pressure on an opponent. It's great for Suns fans because we know our team can outscore Kobe and his weak teammates. Despite shooting terrible against the Lakers twice in two weeks, they've pulled out games because Kobe couldn't take over. Even if the tempo increases for a short stint, the Suns have too much firepower. The Lakers are trying to keep games close because they don't play well enough to beat anyone. In all of Kobe's March outbursts, all those games were close against bad teams.

When he attempted to pass more in Game 2 it was undone by the Lakers defense. The team wasn't ready for the Suns, who looked more like themselves and found their way to the basket for numerous highlight dunks and layups. The remedy may be more fouls but in today's NBA anything flagrant will be bring swift punishment and fouling the best freethrow shooting team may backfire.

This Lakers team isn't the tough opponent who tried to squash the upstart, small ball Suns last year. They are a bad team with a great player that the Suns need to put out of their misery. The Lakers don't need to figure out a way to beat the Suns. They need the off-season to find a way to build a team that doesn't sabotage their star's best efforts.