EL SEGUNDO, CA — The "Battle of Los Angeles II" takes place at Staples Center Wednesday night.
Or does it?
After decades of domination over their NBA city-mates, the Lakers are no longer the sure bet when it comes to a Laker-Clipper showdown. In fact, including the exhibition season, the Clippers have beaten the Lakers in their last three meetings, including a 102-94 win on Jan. 14. Chris Paul, who led the Clips with 33 points in that contest, has missed five straight games with a pulled left hamstring and his availability will likely be a game-time decision. He did practice on Tuesday.
However, the way the Lakers have been scoring, it probably won't make much of a difference if Paul plays or not.
The 16-time NBA champions have lost three in a row, the latest a lackadaisical effort against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The Lakers' record has dropped to 10-8 and right now they wouldn't qualify for the playoffs, ranking 10th in the Western Conference. Much more worrisome than the won-loss record right now is an offensive pattern that has been developing for a while — the Lakers' inability to score 100 points in a game.
They've done it only once this season — a 108-99 win against Houston on Jan. 3. Since then they've scored in the 90s eight times; the 80s twice and a pathetic 73 in a win over Dallas. The Lakers have gone 11 games in a row without reaching triple figures, a stat which nearly assures a Clipper victory in BOL II.
Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro's squad has held opponents under 100 in nine games so far — all wins. Facing a Lakers offense that has trouble scoring is made to order for Blake Griffin and company, a team that can score and is much more athletic than the Lakers.
"We're looking forward to playing them again," Griffin said.
And why wouldn't they be? The Lakers are a team in transition and turmoil, the latest debate sparked by former player and coach Brian Shaw's comments after the loss to the Pacers.
Now Indiana's associate head coach to Frank Vogel, Shaw mentioned that Pau Gasol seems less effective in Mike Brown's offense.
"In the triangle (offense) Pau played a lot closer to the basket," said Shaw, who played on the Three-peat teams of the early 2000s. "He seemed to get the ball a lot closer to the basket and knew where his shots would come from. Now he's a lot farther from the basket and isn't getting the same looks."
Gasol, usually imperturbable but always very smart, took Shaw's comments and used them to subtly express dissatisfaction about his new offense.
"I want to make sure we use our (inside) game as much as other teams do," Gasol told the media before practice Tuesday. "Why don't we? It's an effective way to play.
"Indiana (played that way). I don't think they're more talented than we are. Orlando does it as well, and I don't think Dwight Howard is that much more talented than me and Andrew (Bynum) in the post."
And if you look at the numbers, it's been a distressing time for Gasol, who nearly was traded as part of the voided Paul deal in early December.
In Brown's scheme, Gasol often gets the ball at the elbow of the key or near the corner, and in the last five games he's shot 40.8% and averaged just 13.8 points per game. Much of that can be blamed on his having to take more outside shots than he's accustomed to shooting. Brown, however, doesn't see the problem.
"Pau is getting touches (low)," the coach said. "Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on the flow of the game. He's a great post player."
What Brown didn't concede, though, was that he would tweak his offense to benefit Gasol and Bynum's strengths.
So, look for Kobe Bryant to take close to 30 shots — or more — as it will probably take another 40-point performance to give the Lakers any chance of winning — with or without Paul in the Lakers' lineup.
The Clippers have an extraordinary backcourt situation—three point guards who can also easily adapt to playing shooting guard — as Chauncey Billups has shown. Paul and Mo Williams are also dynamic offensive players, and each is a former All-Star, with all three making serious bids to represent the West in Orlando next month.
Williams, who was upset when moved to bench following the acquisition of Paul, has adapted to life as a reserve. Actually, he's adapted so well that he's likely the current front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year. He's scored 25 or more points in his last three games, including 17 in a row in the fourth quarter of the Clips' win over Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
Even if Paul is back in the lineup Wednesday, expect Del Negro to figure out a way for Williams to keep getting significant minutes. The Clipper trio is averaging 48 points per game, more than half of the Laker team average.
A sense of urgency needs to infiltrate the Laker locker room quickly in this shortened season.
"It doesn't matter who we're playing," responded Bryant when asked about facing the Clippers again. "We need a win."
