The Final Score: If you wanted the Lakers to be great, go forth and panic

By MICO HALILI

Published November 3, 2012 7:01pm

Shake your head, close your eyes, and bite your lips. I feel your pain, Lakers fans. I really do. Jack Nicholson smiles from his courtside throne, yet you know he’s having a purple and gold hemorrhage inside. You’re experiencing the same symptoms: nausea, disbelief, and embarrassment. Because you thought the Lakers would start the season at 3-0 like they were supposed to. Because you never expected your team to go 0-3 like no team with Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol should ever do.

Rub your forehead and sigh. You tried your best to disregard the pre-season. The pre-season doesn’t mean anything. Apparently, for the Lakers, it meant everything.

You know that little clank you hear under the car as you speed through the highway. You notice it, but choose to ignore it. Anyway, the car drives smoothly. Everything appears fine. Then, two hours later, the hazard lights are on. You’re on the side of the road. You search for the wrench. You wipe the sweat off your face. Regret hits like a bullet pass on the nose. You realize that one little clank was all you needed to hear.

Clasp your hands behind your head. Stay still. Don’t look elsewhere for consolation. You won’t like what you’ll see.

The Houston Rockets are the coolest team in town. They have James Harden. They have Jeremy Lin. They have Rush Hour. They have our attention. I’ll be first in line to buy the shirts. Especially if Harden continues to score 45 points in a game. Especially if Lin continues to post near-triple-doubles. Fear the Beard! Linsanity! H-Town is the place to be.

Lob City is a just a whisper away. Yet the Clippers are reborn. They’re no longer second-class citizens in Hollywood. The Clippers pummeled the Lakers today. It might mean little in June, but somehow, it means a lot now. Even with Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill in casual clothes, the Clippers looked so much sharper. Their bench looked so much deeper.

For the Clippers, it’s never too early to enjoy potential. For the Lakers, it’s never too early to obsess over problems. Steve Nash is hurt. Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol are in constant danger of tripping over one another. Kobe Bryant is aiming for 40 points like it’s the playoffs. Mike Brown is already feeling the heat like they’re down 0-3 in the Conference Finals.

Opponents, after all, are winning handily. Dallas didn’t need Dirk Nowitzki to win. Portland rookie Damian Lillard tallied 22 points. Chris Paul made other Clippers look good with 15 assists.

0-3 shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s a long season. But I understand the concern. It’s not that the Lakers are winless in three games. It’s how the Lakers became winless so easily. Thus, you feel the symptoms: nausea, disbelief and embarrassment. Heartbreak, no matter how mild, is happening too soon. It’s not supposed to happen in early November. Great teams, if they must disappoint, should do it in June. - RAF, GMA News

Tags: losangeleslakers, thefinalscore, kobebryant, diwghthoward, paugasol