Wait till next year. In the aftermath of Tuesday night's Game 6, the Lakers adopted the phrase frequently uttered by championship-starved Boston sports fans once upon a time.
Embarrassed and humbled after losing to the Celtics, 131-92, in the NBA's most-lopsided Finals clincher, the Lakers managed to see better days ahead. Why not? This was essentially a rebuilding year with a big trade (Pau Gasol from Memphis) and a big injury (Andrew Bynum with a dislocated left kneecap and subsequent surgery).
At the risk of sounding overconfident after yet another sobering loss to the Celtics, the Lakers said they expect to be back in the Finals next year. It's likely NBA pundits and Las Vegas oddsmakers will agree. The Lakers should start next season as favorites to repeat as Western Conference champions. They will be a year older and wiser. Bynum will be healthy. And the Kobe Bryant drama quotient should be at an all-time low. Emphasis on should be.
"We'll be here again," said Sasha Vujacic. "The one positive thing about our team is we are young and I think we can compete at this level for a long time. If you look at us, we will be here again. We lost our first Finals and I think we have a lot more to go."
When asked about the Celtics and Lakers meeting again in the 2009 Finals, Vujacic added, "They better be there. We'll be."
Somewhere, commissioner David Stern is smiling broadly. For the next two or three years, maybe more, Stern could have an embarrassment of riches with the Celtics and Lakers as repeat visitors to the Finals. Neither team needs to change much to return to the biggest NBA stage.
The Lakers will get an automatic boost inside, especially defensively, from Bynum. With the Lakers outrebounded, 48-29, in Game 6, they will welcome back Bynum with open arms. The 20-year-old 7-footer was averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks at the time of his injury.
"If we're going to learn anything from this series, we can't expect to win a championship by focusing on the offensive end," said Bryant. "We have to be able to hold people down, as well. We're pretty good at it, but I think we can do much better."
That said, the runners-up could also use another consistent scorer. Bryant averaging 25.7 points per game in the Finals was not nearly enough to carry the Lakers. The contributions of Vujacic (20 points in Game 3) and Jordan Farmar (11 points in 22 minutes in Game 5) and double-doubles from Lamar Odom and Gasol late in the series were much appreciated. But in the future, Bryant wouldn't mind more predictable offensive contributions besides his own.
It may be simply a case of waiting for that consistency to develop in players already on the roster. Vujacic might be a smart choice to contribute more than the 8.8 points he averaged during the regular season. After all, he has promised to lock himself in the gym this offseason to improve his game.
more stories like thisWhen it comes to the Lakers' determination to improve, Vujacic is far from alone. As torturous as it may be, they planned to review the tape from Game 6. That may be all other teams need to know about the Lakers' intentions of reaching the 2009 Finals.
"All of us are going to have to go home and watch this tape together," said Odom. "Watch our [butt] get kicked together, and focus on November."
Why would the Lakers want to watch a replay of Tuesday night's dismantling?
"We want to see how much it hurts, how bad it looks, so it will never happen again," said Odom. "Our effort was there. Our execution was not. Our energy was there, but it was channeled the wrong way. Of course, this is a letdown, but we'll watch the tape together and get past it. Move forward. Get better this summer individually. Come back better as a team. Get stronger. Get nastier. Get ready for next year."
The Lakers entered the playoffs young and inexperienced. They are still young, but the value of their playoff experience cannot be underestimated. While Bynum will help the Lakers become a physically tougher team, Bryant recognized that the ups and downs of the series against the Celtics already have made his team mentally tougher. He said that happens when players "taste defeat." Especially the way the Lakers tasted it in Game 6, with the Celtics firing away from 3-point range and stretching their lead to as many as 43 points.
"I don't say nothing about it," said Vujacic. "They won, but we'll be back. And our time to showboat and showtime will come soon. I'm looking forward to that."
With nothing to savor from the Finals, the Lakers are ready to do it all over again. Same teams. Same arenas. Same result? Maybe not, if humiliation by the Celtics proves as big a motivating factor as the Lakers predict. Next time around, the Lakers want the resurrected rivalry to look and feel more like a true rivalry.
Shira Springer Globe Staff..
Embarrassed and humbled after losing to the Celtics, 131-92, in the NBA's most-lopsided Finals clincher, the Lakers managed to see better days ahead. Why not? This was essentially a rebuilding year with a big trade (Pau Gasol from Memphis) and a big injury (Andrew Bynum with a dislocated left kneecap and subsequent surgery).
At the risk of sounding overconfident after yet another sobering loss to the Celtics, the Lakers said they expect to be back in the Finals next year. It's likely NBA pundits and Las Vegas oddsmakers will agree. The Lakers should start next season as favorites to repeat as Western Conference champions. They will be a year older and wiser. Bynum will be healthy. And the Kobe Bryant drama quotient should be at an all-time low. Emphasis on should be.
"We'll be here again," said Sasha Vujacic. "The one positive thing about our team is we are young and I think we can compete at this level for a long time. If you look at us, we will be here again. We lost our first Finals and I think we have a lot more to go."
When asked about the Celtics and Lakers meeting again in the 2009 Finals, Vujacic added, "They better be there. We'll be."
Somewhere, commissioner David Stern is smiling broadly. For the next two or three years, maybe more, Stern could have an embarrassment of riches with the Celtics and Lakers as repeat visitors to the Finals. Neither team needs to change much to return to the biggest NBA stage.
The Lakers will get an automatic boost inside, especially defensively, from Bynum. With the Lakers outrebounded, 48-29, in Game 6, they will welcome back Bynum with open arms. The 20-year-old 7-footer was averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks at the time of his injury.
"If we're going to learn anything from this series, we can't expect to win a championship by focusing on the offensive end," said Bryant. "We have to be able to hold people down, as well. We're pretty good at it, but I think we can do much better."
That said, the runners-up could also use another consistent scorer. Bryant averaging 25.7 points per game in the Finals was not nearly enough to carry the Lakers. The contributions of Vujacic (20 points in Game 3) and Jordan Farmar (11 points in 22 minutes in Game 5) and double-doubles from Lamar Odom and Gasol late in the series were much appreciated. But in the future, Bryant wouldn't mind more predictable offensive contributions besides his own.
It may be simply a case of waiting for that consistency to develop in players already on the roster. Vujacic might be a smart choice to contribute more than the 8.8 points he averaged during the regular season. After all, he has promised to lock himself in the gym this offseason to improve his game.
more stories like thisWhen it comes to the Lakers' determination to improve, Vujacic is far from alone. As torturous as it may be, they planned to review the tape from Game 6. That may be all other teams need to know about the Lakers' intentions of reaching the 2009 Finals.
"All of us are going to have to go home and watch this tape together," said Odom. "Watch our [butt] get kicked together, and focus on November."
Why would the Lakers want to watch a replay of Tuesday night's dismantling?
"We want to see how much it hurts, how bad it looks, so it will never happen again," said Odom. "Our effort was there. Our execution was not. Our energy was there, but it was channeled the wrong way. Of course, this is a letdown, but we'll watch the tape together and get past it. Move forward. Get better this summer individually. Come back better as a team. Get stronger. Get nastier. Get ready for next year."
The Lakers entered the playoffs young and inexperienced. They are still young, but the value of their playoff experience cannot be underestimated. While Bynum will help the Lakers become a physically tougher team, Bryant recognized that the ups and downs of the series against the Celtics already have made his team mentally tougher. He said that happens when players "taste defeat." Especially the way the Lakers tasted it in Game 6, with the Celtics firing away from 3-point range and stretching their lead to as many as 43 points.
"I don't say nothing about it," said Vujacic. "They won, but we'll be back. And our time to showboat and showtime will come soon. I'm looking forward to that."
With nothing to savor from the Finals, the Lakers are ready to do it all over again. Same teams. Same arenas. Same result? Maybe not, if humiliation by the Celtics proves as big a motivating factor as the Lakers predict. Next time around, the Lakers want the resurrected rivalry to look and feel more like a true rivalry.
Shira Springer Globe Staff..
