Lakers' victories great, but sluggish starts not a key ingredient

It’s a season where a multitude of Lakers’ fans believe they can win at least 70 games or more, the Los Angeles Lakers are on pace to win those many games, with three more wins they’ll tie their 16-1 start of the 2001-02 season, but they can use a minor adjustments at the start of each contest.

It has been a remarkable season, well at least for the first month of the regular-season, they have a brand new trademark on defense, the bench mob provides intensity, while Kobe Bryant enhances the game, with his ability to lead a late-rally and pick up a save, meaning closing the game, similar to the latest one last night against the Dallas Mavericks.

Of course, a win is a win, but the Lakers can’t continue to get comfortable early and relaying on second-half rallies, the Lakers are great, obviously they’re the best team in the West, but if they look to keep their swagger, then they’ll need to play a full 48 minutes, not a full 24.

The Lakers latest hallmark has been, fall behind, increase intensity and win with ease, but on Christmas Day, when they host Boston, the Lakers can’t enter the game with that same attitude, they’ll have to form a new game plan, defense early, intensity for an entire 48 and win with ease.

As the late legendary Chick Hearn would say, “the game’s in the refrigerator. The doors closed, the light’s out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard, and the jell-O’s jiggling,” wasn’t their mystique when they needed a second-half rally to ease to a 114-107 victory, after grinding their way back into the game.

Aside from the first-half woes, the Lakers are 13-1 on the season, that’s great, but getting more consistency early as soon as they tip off, will bring out the new Lakers, they’ll really be difficult to beat as their intensity level will step into gear early, by taking their opponents out of their game, then they won’t have to worry about digging themselves a hole and grinding their way back into a game which could possibly turn into a loss.

Soon, if the Lakers continue to start off sluggish, they’ll possibly start to lose more games than they should, while playing against a mediocre team who the Lakers might take lightly on a night when they least expect their opponent to come away with a victory.

Beyond any doubt, they needed Kobe Bryant to boost his intensity level, in which he posted a season-high 35 points, after a poor first-half. The Lakers hustle-minded and defensive-minded forward, Trevor Ariza, finished with a season-high 15 points.

Bryant scored 23 points in the second-half. He finished 14-for-26 shooting after struggling to find his range. At least Bryant made it happen when it mattered. He found his touch at a good time, when their second loss of the season was on the line against the Mavs, a team which isn’t experts on defense or even on offense.

The Mavs led by 12 points midway through the third quarter and by 11 with less than four minutes left, but the Lakers turned on an impelling switch and elevated their game to a pinnacle.

Kobe nailed a 20-foot jumpshot. Then his sidekick Ariza made a deep jumper from above the key, following a three point jumper from the corner, just to give you a glimpse of their dramatic turn of events.

Game over. Lakers win. Good, now they’re a step closer to gaining a championship trademark stamp.

But, not always the result, if they continue their late surges.