Battle Fatigue Does In Los Angeles Lakers

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 12, 2011
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             When Dallas Mavericks’ German-born seven-foot all star forward Dirk Nowitski swept the former NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers it defied the experts, expecting a better showing for Hall-of-Fame, 11-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson, who coached his last game, at least for now.  Barely getting through in six games their first-round series with Chris Paul’s New Orleans Hornets, most analysts expected the Lakers to “flip the switch” and roll to the NBA finals.  When the final buzzer sounded May 9, the Lakers were beaten by Dallas in Game 4 by 36 points, an exclamation point on an up-and-down season.  Most experts thought the Lakers would three-peat, after winning two consecutive NBA finals, and finishing second to the Boston Celtics in 2008.  While Dallas deserves much credit, a closer look at what went wrong indicates the Lakers suffered from battle fatigue.

            Pointing fingers at various Lakers players, especially Spanish-born seven-foot power forward Pau Gasol, Lakers’ superstar shooting guard Kobe Bryant gave some keen insights.  “It’s been a long run . .. a great run but a long run,” said Kobe in his exit interview at the Lakers’ El Segundo, Calif. training facility.  “The biggest thing was the fatigue factor.  Guys were tired.  A lot of times when you get tired you get burdened by things that you’re normally not burdened by,” said Kobe, alluding to the relatively poor performance by the Lakers No. 2 offensive performer, Pau Gasol.  Fatigue comes in many packages, most assuming that it’s physical.  But conditioned athletes possess the physical conditioning to compete at a high level.  Gasol—and the Lakers’ performance—showed signs of mental exhaustion.  With physical fatigue comes vulnerability to injuries, something competitors play through.

            Mental fatigue or strain comes from prolonged exposure to stress.  When Kobe talked of a long run, he referred to the daily pressure of losing to the Celtics in ‘08, winning back-to-back championships, then trying to three-peat, something that Kobe and the Lakers did under Phil Jackson with former big-man Shaquille O-Neal did [2000, 2001 & 2002].  Unlike the earlier three-peat at age 25, Kobe was a little older and more injury prone, playing with a bad knee and sprained ankle.  While playing through injuries, Kobe showed more physical strain than mental fatigue.  His teammates, especially Pau and NBA Sixth-Man winner Lamar Odom, showed less willingness to engage in the battle needed to win another championship.  Battle fatigue creeps on its victims and sucks out the will to fight.  Soldiers with battle fatigue lack the focus, concentration and will to fight the enemy.

            Since the Lakers early exit from the playoffs, former Lakers great Magic “Ervin” Johnson said he thought the team needed a major overhaul.  “This summer, some guys will rest, some will train and some guys will get healthy.  Just refocus, come back next year with a good sense of purpose and be ready to go,” said Kobe, disagreeing with Magic that the team needed to be broken up.  Unlike Johnson, Kobe believes the team needs minor tweaking, namely, adding a young, fast, athletic point guard to run up the court for easy baskets.  Jackson also agreed that the team needed some minor changes but the basic pieces were in place.  “If you’re asking me if I believe that we can come back and in it again, I absolutely believe that,” said Kobe, again emphasizing that fatigue and mental exhaustion, not a lack of talent, ended the Lakers’ run.  Battle fatigue certainly seemed to hit Pau.

            Responding to the media about swirling rumors regarding his private life, Pau discounted reports suggesting that personal problems with his girl friend affected his on-court play.  Most NBA analysts thought Pau looked “shell-shocked,” a ghost of his former competitive self.  At his exit interview, Pau apologized for his poor performance but denied any personal problems crept into his play.  He was hard-pressed to explain his lowered performance.  Kobe’s “fatigue factor” made perfect sense, where cumulated mental exhaustion saps the competitive intensity, lowering performance just enough to lose close games.  While basketball’s a true team sport, the team counted on its No. 2 scorer in Pau to pull his weight.  When asked his view of the season, Kobe called it a “complete waste.”  Playing for the Lakers comes with high expectations to win championships, not just compete.

            If Kobe’s “fatigue factor” is correct, the Lakers need less upheaval over the off-season and more rest and recuperation.  With Jackson gone, the team will need a suitable replacement or face more complications trying to get back to championship form.  “A lot of people probably don’t expect us to continue winning without Phil as head coach,” said Kobe, who won five rings under Jackson.  Despite the change, Kobe still believes that “hunger” makes a big motivational difference in the Lakers’ desire for another ring.  Coming off three consecutive finals, certain players no longer had the fight left to pull off the three-peat.  If Kobe’s theory is right, the Lakers need to get some rest, tweak the roster and get back in the hunt next season.  Battle fatigue gets better with rest, giving competitive players, like Pau, the renewed energy and drive to aggressively compete for another title.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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