The Lakers are becoming very adept at pulling out wins late. How many times have they prevailed this year by either making big fourth quarter comebacks or winning one or two points games? It is easier to tally up the number that they LOST in those situations.
While clearly not the ideal way to win any game, especially for the stress level of fans, it also makes the Lakers very formitable, because close games in the playoffs are the norm.
Not as inspiring as the Spurs blowout of the Grizzlies, but we all have seen how much trouble the Rockets have given the Lakers this year, especially Yao on Shaq. The series may be a four game sweep, but more likely will take six games, but the Lakers will prevail because they have more experienced playoff calibur players to throw out there.
BTW, while it looks like several key Laker players are ailing, the one who would concern me the most would be Malone. He holds that team together better then anybody else, but if he has to sit more often because he is hurting, the Lakers suddenly are lacking their kickbutt starter. He is a proven playoff motivator who demands attention on the court. That scenario bears watching regarding how the Lakers do this post season.
