HoopWatch

The Los Angeles Lakers of today remind me a lot of the Chicago Bulls of the 90’s. The Bulls then were led by Michael Jordan while Jordanesque Kobe Bryant shows the way for today’s Lakers. And both teams are being mentored by the same coach, the zen master, Phil Jackson.

I was watching a tribute special for the Chicago Bulls of the 90’s Friday night, and the show made me reminisce of the excitement, thrills and goosebumps of those times. I was just eleven years old when the Jordan-led Bulls won their first championship against, ironically, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls lost the first game in Chicago, when Jordan muffed the potential game-winning jumper. Chicago then swept the next four games.

But before the Bulls dominated the NBA in the 90’s, they underwent through a lot of struggles, obstacles and hindrances. The biggest hindrance of them all were Isiah Thomas and the “Bad Boys” of Detroit. They faced the Pistons twice in the Eastern Conference Finals for two straight postseasons, and twice they were denied the right to go to the NBA Finals. They were also criticized as being just a Michael Jordan team. Detroit swamped on Jordan in almost every possession to the frustration of His Airness. They even named one of their defensive set, the “Jordan trap.” As Joe Dumars used to exclaim, “95% of the time, the ball goes to Jordan, and in the other 5%, the ball ends up in his hands anyway.”

With that mind, Coach Jackson and his assistant Tex Winter constructed a set of offensive plays which would involve all five players on the floor. They called it, the “Triangle Offense.” And the result, the Bulls became a different team at the onset of the 1990-91 season. Jordan did not have to score 35 points every game. Forwards Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant became a force of their own. Center Bill Cartwright became a post option, and guard John Paxson became so deadly, that he made his guards pay when they left him wide open.

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All five guys became threats, that it became hard to stop the rampaging Bulls. Not to mention the contribution of their bench players, especially that of Randy Levingston, who at some nights, energized the team leading to victories. The Bulls cruised to a 61-win season, and swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls dominated the decade winning six championships in eight years.

Similarly, the Los Angeles Lakers are seemingly gearing towards that same fate. After winning three titles in 2000-2002, the Lakers lose to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of 2003, and lost the championship ring to the Pistons in 2004. Jackson, dominant center Shaquille O’Neal, starters Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Derek Fisher, all significant contributors in their three-peat, left the Lakers in the 2004-05 season. The team was entrusted solely to Kobe Bryant. Former Houston Rockets champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich and Frank Hamblen took turns in guiding the Lakers that season to no avail. They failed to reach the postseason wars for the first time in more than ten years in franchise history.

Then, Jackson came back to the Lakers fold last season, and led Los Angeles back to the playoffs. They gave the Phoenix Suns a scare, even leading 3-1 at one point in the series. They faltered in the end loosing three straight. But the pieces are slowly molded into the Lakers system. It was the start of greater things to come.

Bryant last season had to score 35 points a night for the Lakers to reach the playoffs, much like what Jordan had to do in his time. This season, though, Bryant is just averaging 21 points per game. And they have an awesome 7-3 record to start the season. Lamar Odom has become the star everyone expected him to be. He has transformed to be the all-around player supporting Bryant as Pippen was for Jordan. He has racked impressive numbers in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and threes. Luke Walton has scored more than 20 points thrice this season (this early), and Smush Parker is contributing heavy numbers from the guard spot. Kwame Brown has produced double-doubles. Vladimir Radmanovic, Jordan Farmar, Brian Cook and Maurice Evans have steadily performed well for Jackson.

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The Lakers may not be a championship contender this year, not yet. But they will be in three to four years max. Just like the Bulls then, this Laker team will hurdle every forthcoming obstacle. The Suns might be their Pistons, and the Suns may bow down in the future especially with two-time MVP Steve Nash aging. But this year, a Western Conference Finals berth is still wishful thinking. But definitely, they will reach the second round of the playoffs. (pics courtesy of topbuzz.com)