Yes, it’s the preseason and the Lakers are injured and still figuring things out. But they play preseason games for a reason. Witness the excellent Cavaliers-Pacers contest this week–a close, fun and still experimental game between two contenders who played hard–and well. How can you interpret losing three games by a total of 89 points as preparing for the season? Preparing for what? For getting hammered?
The Lakers, it seems, are preparing to try to go back in time–to coach Byron Scott’s player days when coaches somehow hadn’t yet figured out that 3-point field goals are worth an ENTIRE point more than 2-point field goals. Byron Scott has declared that this year’s Lakers will be a virtual 3-free zone. (Some kind of preposterous overreaction to departed coach Mike D’Antoni’s 3-pointer crazy system.) As Tom Ziller at SB Nation points out the Lakers, in the last two games have taken just eight 3-point shots. (And none from the corners, which is the most efficient.) Last year the San Antonio Spurs led the NBA in 3-point efficiency and shot more 3s than at least half the teams in the league. The Spurs won the championship.
