This is the fourth in a series of articles from Awl Sports Blogger about sport, following on from There WAS an Aussie World Champ in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and Can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t throw? and Asian Cup Redux.

Maybe life isn’t allowed to be this neat, this perfect.

If the Los Angeles Lakers were to win this year’s NBA championship, it would be their third successive title. Even more remarkable is the fact that if they were to lift the trophy this season it would be a second “3-peat“, making it the sixth NBA title of the decade for the Lakers, and all six won under the guidance of head coach Phil Jackson (2000, 2001, 2002 & 2009, 2010, 2011).

Winning championships back-to-back has never been quite good enough for Jackson, who seems to specialise in championship trebles. His tenure as head coach of the Chicago Bulls yielded no less than six NBA titles (1991, 1992, 1993 & 1996, 1997, 1998). Of course he had some good help in the form of the all time great Scottie Pippen, but there were some other handy players on that team too. Let’s not forget the Australian Luc Longley and of course there was the other guy too, Whatsisname? The shooting guard … umm argh no.23 … guy named Jordan??

At the beginning of the current season big Phil announced it would be his last as an NBA coach, describing the Lakers quest for another 3-peat and his record 12th NBA title as coach as his ‘Last Stand’. This marks the end of an era, a last tilt at glory for a legendary coach and his famed Triangle offencewhich over the years has helped all time great players like Jordan, Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to shine, but which is not (stunningly) used by any other NBA coach or team.

One would think that this would be all the motivation in the world the current Lakers team would need to leave no stone unturned in the hunt for another title. Kobe Bryant even saying as much in the pre-season. However, to this point the team’s performance on the court while not disastrous has been an underwhelming display for a two-time defending champion.

To say that of a team with a season record of 38 wins and 17 losses may seem harsh, but what strikes most is that the reason for this lapse from seasons past (the Lakers were 57 and 25 last season). It seems to be a lack of passion and effort from the players. It’s this lack which is surprising not only for the reason that the team and their coach have a chance to make history, but because of all the challenges that have been flung at them from around the league this season.

The San Antonio Spurs playing a quick-hitting, high tempo game are the runaway leaders of the Western Conference—a role that has been the preserve of Lakers in recent seasons. The Lakers arch rival the Boston Celtics, with the addition this season of Shaq are perhaps better than ever and may lie in wait in the NBA finals. Then you come to the most blatant challenge to the Lakers hegemony in the form of the Miami Heat trio of Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh. The three superstars now turned Super Friends are out to prove they own the present and the future of the NBA, consigning the Lakers to the pages of history.

The response in LA to these challengers has been weak at best. The Lakers are 2 – 6 against the top ranked teams in the league, and this weeks’ back-to-back losses to lowly teams Charlotte and Cleveland during a season that already included home losses to Sacramento, Milwaukee and Memphis has left a bad taste in the mouth. (A good mini-summary of the Lakers season can be found at www.nba.com).

The question most Laker fans are asking at this point, is what the heck is going on? Perhaps to solve the mystery we need to take a closer look at the team and here they are:

Center—Andrew Bynum

At just 23 Bynum has long been considered the future of the Lakers for the coming, yet feared post-Kobe Bryant era. In a league bereft of star big men, a seven footer who controls the key at both ends of the floor is a rare and precious commodity. So why is it that the Lakers in the last few weeks would consider trading him to another team? Because while no one questions what he does on the court, it’s simply that he’s not on the court often enough for a player in whom the Lakers rely on so heavily to anchor the defence. Andrew misses a lot of games through injury, which leaves his (older) team-mates shouldering the burden night in night out and the pressure is beginning to take its toll.

Forward—Pau Gasol

The pressure is most wearing on the man who for a large part of the first half of the season has had to step into Bynum’s shoes. Gasol, a proven All-Star calibre player in seasons past, has only one issue this season. He’s dog tired, he’s exhausted. Already relied on heavily as offensive threat, the added court time and defensive duties that have been left to him by the absent Bynum have often left him looking like a shadow of the player he was in seasons past. Most troubling, is that when Bynum is healthy, Gasol appears to take this as a free ticket to take the night off. He looks unready to play and disinterested in the opponent. It quickly becomes a disaster for the Lakers offence when Pau stops being aggressive and even starts turning down shots.

Forward—Ron Artest

No one’s quite sure exactly what it is that Ron Artest does for the Lakers these days. He has never been the quickest, never the most athletic. Artest is in the team for his hustle, for his defence, the steals, the deflections, the competitive nature … all the little one-percenters that add up to a championship at the end of the year. But this season the fire is gone, the drive to compete is suddenly missing. Ron isn’t on the same page as his team. Mostly he seems on another planet. Planet Ron Ron. Artest is suddenly becoming a liability given how little he can rely on his diminishing speed and athleticism. The best solution for the Lakers would be to trade him. But with career lows in points and defensive stats, which team would be crazy enough to take him?

Guard—Kobe Bryant

This season has been a tale of two Kobes. In one guise he is the facilitator looking to get his team mates involved, making the extra pass or scoring at will and keeping defences constantly guessing. The other is the old Kobe. Kobe angry with his teammates. Kobe putting the game on his shoulders. Kobe ignoring the triangle. Kobe dribbling around defenders for 20 seconds. Kobe forcing his shot over, between or fading away from double-teams. The problem for the Lakers is that this old way just isn’t working like it used to. Bryant has put on some sub-par shooting performances that have left his team dead in the water in close games. Dealing with pressure and expectation has never been an issue for Bryant. Could father time be finally catching up with him?

Guard—Derek Fisher

Forget about competing at a championship level. Derek Fisher’s body isn’t letting him compete at an NBA level anymore. No one can doubt how much he has contributed to the successes of seasons past for the Lakers, but it seems game on game another young, quick point guard is putting another nail in to the coffin of Derek Fisher’s long NBA career. His inability to contain opposition point guards is a massive weak link for the Lakers team, helpless to contain the penetration of the opposing chief playmaker. No one doubts the value of his veteran leadership and his ability to make tough shots, but at age 36 it seems the Lakers really need a fresh player to play next season.

The Bench

In contrast to the starting five, the play of the Lakers bench has been much improved on seasons past. Lamar Odom is having such a good season, there was talk he might be voted to the All Star team, despite playing off the bench for the Lakers. The Lakers also have some new players this year adding veterans Steve Blake and Matt Barnes, but their ability to gel in the triangle offence has been hindered by the general funk the first team players are stuck in. And then of course a big part of the bench is Shannon Brown who does things like this …

The Coach—Phil Jackson

Could then Zen Master have finally lost his touch? Jackson is famously well known for his ability to handle a team of superstar players with supersize egos using his own unique blend of eastern mythology and good old fashioned basketball know-how. Could the magic be running out? Does Phil already have half a mind on going fishing rather than testing and tweaking his team to realise it’s maximum potential?

Maybe it’s just the universe rebelling against such perfection. Maybe Kobe’s sixth NBA title, matching Jordan, and Jackson’s fourth 3-peat in his final ever season is too good to be true. Are the Lakers really lost in LA LA Land? Or is all the malaise just a side show, just building the drama, another twist in the tale before the grand finale and the nice happy ending. Who knows?? After all these guys do live in Hollywood.

This series follows on with Roar Talent.