Subscribe
Follow Us
The Los Angeles Lakers earned a well-deserved respite after they took care of business and finished off their second-round opponents Houston Rockets in just five games.
However, as far as Frank Vogel is concerned, the long break also comes with its share of pros and cons for the championship-seeking squad.
“It’s definitely a challenge, there’s no doubt about that,” the Lakers head coach said in a video-conference on Monday, per Broderick Turner of the LA Times. “And the message with our group today is: You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. And we not only want to stay sharp, we want to get better every time we step on the basketball court. So that’s got to be your focus. But at the same time, you’re just trying to get in enough work to stay in rhythm, keep your conditioning, but still take advantage of rest.”
“We’re going to have a plan this week of trying to stay in the cadence of playing every other day, so we had a live practice today, off tomorrow, live practice Wednesday, and then Thursday’s practice will be a no-contact practice. Just preparation-oriented. So just trying to keep that cadence and, again, manage the time off to stay in shape and stay in rhythm.”
With the West semifinals series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets stretching to a do-or-die Game 7 on Tuesday, the Lakers have been playing the waiting game since Saturday. While rest is of paramount importance come playoff time, the Purple and Gold haven't exactly been doing well after coming off a long layoff.
The Lakers were in a similar scenario after their 4-1 first-round series win against the Portland Trail Blazers. They were in the sidelines for some time as they had to await the winner of Game 7 between the Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Everyone expected the Frank Vogel-mentored team to have the fresher legs in Game 1 against Houston, but they looked flat and out of rhythm from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Another challenge is the living conditions that players have while inside the bubble. A lull in action usually allows players to recharge and spend time with their loved ones. That isn't exactly possible in the bubble, as only limited family members were allowed to enter the Disney premises.
Regardless of their current circumstances, the Lakers must find a way to shake off those cobwebs come Game 1 of their Western Conference Finals series.
