I was so dismayed with the game last night and thought not to write how the Los Angeles Lakers lost to Dallas Mavericks with the score of 96 to 94.
You see, there are more headlines grabbing news to write of out there, like the killing of Osama Bin Laden from the hands of US Navy SEALS Team 6.
Revisiting the dysfunctional game the Lakers are prone to make time and time again seems a waste of time.
I thought I’d rather write an article on how the vow of former U.S. President George W. Bush came into fruition when he said: Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done. . . It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.
On a second thought, I couldn’t resist the temptation of comparing how the Navy SEALS and the Lakers fight when the die is cast.
For a moment, I ignored the head-scratching foul made by Paul Gasol (15 points, 11 rebounds) on Dirk Nowitzki (28 points, 14 rebounds) with 20.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter with the Lakers leading over Mavericks 94 to 93.
I tried to ignore Gasol’s silly foul, and instead think of something good, something to elate my sagging spirit from the inane mistake committed by the Lakers’ All-Star power forward.
Yeah, I diverted my thinking to the report that the number one terrorist in the world- the one that masterminded the killings of thousands of Americans on September 11, 2001- has finally met his end.
Lakerslandia and the free world should rejoice because Bin Laden was TWEPed – terminated with extreme prejudice! Thanks to stealthy operation of the Navy SEALS.
The Navy SEALS didn’t make a costly foul, unlike Gasol theirs was a legitimate call to block the Al Qaeda leader from orchestrating another plot against the Americans and United States interests here and abroad.
The special operators from the Navy SEALS perfectly executed their plan and worked out their offense with precision, unlike the Lakers who veered away from the triangle offense, and instead let Kobe Bryant (five rebounds, one block) do the shootings.
Bryant attempted 29 shots, making fourteen and ending the game with 36 points totals. The big three of Gasol, Andrew Bynum (eight points, five rebounds), and Lamar Odom (15 points, 12 rebounds) made 28 shots total.
Lakers must operate cohesively as a unit to ensure a higher percentage of wins, after all basketball is a team game.
Statistics for 2010-2011 regular season show that when Bryant attempted 19 shots or less than his teammates, the Lakers won 33 in 41 games and 14-0 on his 15 shots or less.
I wondered if the Lakers collected real-time intelligence on the Mavericks and used the information from their Scouting Reports to their utmost advantage.
SWOT analysis would be a great tool, like identifying the Strength and Weaknesses of the opponents, finding Opportunities on how to involve Gasol and Bynum in the offense, and containing the Threats posed by Nowitzki and Jason Kidd (seven points, five rebounds).
Moreover, if only the Lakers could borrow a page or two from the SEAL’s playbook, they could learn on how to play calm during crunch time. The Lakers unraveled in the fourth quarter by giving up a 16-point lead.
The wingmen of the Lakers failed to support the primary unit. The support group of Steve Blake, Shannon Brown, and Matt Barnes - known as the Killer B’s – were no match to Mavericks’ second team. The Mavericks’ second unit outscored the Lakers 40 to 25.
Contrasting the Lakers bench, the Navy SEALS have dependable wingmen from the discreet 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). The 160th SOAR, otherwise known as the 'Night Stalkers' are an elite U.S. Army special operations unit who fly helicopters in support of classified missions of U.S. Special Operations Command.
At the end, accomplishing a mission does not only take physical abilities and intellectual capabilities; the Navy SEALS are known for their mental toughness, focusing on their targets like a laser even in the midst of tough and precarious environments.
The Lakers are loaded with skills and talents, but lacks the mental grit to fight it out with the opponents until the end game. The absence of will and determination oftentimes is their worst enemy, and making it impossible to accomplish their mission of three-peating.
Lastly, the mission was successful because of the coaching from the Project Officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who designed the OPLAN. Knowing how the CIA works, they paid attention to the minute details of the plan – rehashing the operational details and translating it into perfection in the field.
Unlike the CIA Project Officer, Phil Jackson committed a blunder of letting the second unit play until the sixth-minute of the game, letting the Mavericks caught up with the scores and eventually gaining the lead in the waning minutes of the game. Same mistakes over and over, unable to make changes with his substitution plan.
It was too late for the first unit to turn the momentum of the game in their favor, especially with the consecutive errors of Gasol when the game was on the line.
Maybe it's time to change the command next year? Possibly promoting Brian Shaw to become the court general of the Lakers?
Well, the Lakers lost in the first game of their seven-game series. They could still bounce back and take it to the Mavericks like four winning games in a row.
But for Bin Laden, his game had already ended in a blowout. It’s only one-game, a do-or-die game for him. He lost eternally.
And naturally, the back-to-back champions win again – the Navy SEALS. Hoorah!
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