Pivot Points: Los Angeles Lakers Are Exasperating And Exposed

We knew that probable issues existed, but we chose to ignore them. We sat blinded in the purple-and-gold glow of last year's championship, while very serious concerns receded to the depths of our minds.

Last night, the Dallas Mavericks induced a crushing return to reality, in a blowout that wasn't as close as the final score indicated, and that had the Lakers within 14 points.

Los Angeles was atrocious on both sides of the ball, as the offense couldn't find any kind of rhythm, and the defense looked flat-footed and slow.

The offense can be considered an anomaly, because the Lakers are one of the best offensive teams in the league, who happened to suffer from a rare off night. That type of thing happens sometimes.

The defense is far more troubling, because the...

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