Yan ang problem when you're one of the elite teams, hehehe....laki ng expectations.
The good part despite the loss:
They are 17-3 and are 3 games ahead of the nearest pursuer in the west. Im not worried that they will lose contender status. Very very far from it.
The bad part:
Their vaunted bench mob has been playing pretty awful the last few games. Too much one on one plays and bricks. And oh, Kobe has been shooting badly. Lots of jumpers, less driving plays. The first time I felt that kobe is slipping....
Their defense is in transition. The strong side trap that they used from season's start was effective when teams didnt know what to do about it. Their D was effective early on, but teams have studied it now, and its weakness have been exposed. Teams that can rotate the ball well from strong to weakside capitalizes with open jumpers and easy lay-ups.
Overall, Im not yet worried..PhilJax will keep them motivated enough for the regular season......I'll be pretty worried though if they go .500 in their next 4-6 games.