LOS ANGELES — For a team that finished the regular season with the best record in the West, securing home-court advantage until the Finals to being touted as the favorites to win the championship, the Los Angeles Lakers seem to have a lot of issues.
Some of them reared their heads once again against the Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
One issue is the ongoing story of center Andrew Bynum. Saddled with foul trouble in the series opener, the 7-footer played just less than 16 minutes. Fouls weren’t a concern Thursday, but Bynum, regarded as one of the advantages Los Angeles had over Denver, played only 18 minutes.
“I’m not befuddled; it is what it is,” Bynum said of his limited action. “I’ve got to play my way back into the rotation. I think when I start playing more consistently, that will happen.”
Of course, that has been the issue with the 21-year-old. After suffering a knee injury late in the season, Bynum didn’t return to the Lakers until the final four games of the regular season. And while he has had some nice moments in the playoffs — his 14 points against Houston set the tone for the Lakers in Game 7 of the conference semis — there have been more than a few lulls as well, with Bynum going scoreless in three playoff games.
Then there are the Lakers’ point guards. Derek Fisher was huge in Game 1, making two important 3-point field goals and scoring 13 points. But in Game 2, the veteran was just 1-of-9 from the field, finishing with three points.
In the postseason, Fisher is shooting just 34 percent from the field, but Lakers coach Phil Jackson doesn’t seem too enamored of any of his alternatives, either.
The doghouse that Bynum occupies seems to have a separate wing for Jordan Farmar. The second-year player was on the floor for just six minutes Thursday.
That was about 60 seconds better than Sasha Vujacic, who was 0-for-4 from the field and may be getting a ticket to somewhere other than Denver for Saturday’s Game 3.
“I thought Sasha came in, looked like he was looking for his own shots sometimes rather than looking to move the ball and do the right thing,” Jackson said.
Running low.
Another concern for the Lakers is how much Kobe Bryant has to play, because reserves aren’t getting the job done.
“We’re concerned about how much energy he has to expend out there,” Jackson said before Game 2. “I thought he got tired at times (in Game 1), but managed to get some rest for him, like during the 5-minute timeouts we have at the end of quarters.
“We know he’s going to get fatigued — that’s going to happen — but that’s the mark of the truly great player: He has the ability to come back with energy. There’s a reservoir that he can find.”
In Game 2, Bryant got little rest, again, and wasn’t nearly as effective late as he was in Game 1.
Anthony Cotton, The Denver Post
