Is Iron Man and the Lakers a bit rusty?

Dwight Howard might think that after ditching the cape and opting to wear an armor instead, nothing can now stop him and the Lakers on their quest for the much coveted O'Brien trophy. Well if kryptonite can't, no team can, right?

That certainly wasn't the case last night when they battled Melo and the Knicks on the Garden. In fact, it was Melo who was unstoppable until the Iron Man, yes, decided to use some irons and hit him with a hard foul.

The Knicks dominated much of the game, and the only time the Lakers were within hailing distance is after Carmelo walked into the locker room. Even Kobe's 31 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists were not enough,  in the end, to silence the Madison Square Garden fans.

Knicks owned the Lakers, 116-107, and are still the team to beat with a 17-5 record in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers with all the stars and might they have, need to learn, and learn quickly, that before they can fly, they first need to protect their nest. D-Fence. They just gave up 116 points last night, and Antawn Jamison just staring at Steve Novak leisurely shooting three's in the corner, did not help their cause. Are they getting rusty and slooow to get back on defense? Mentally, it seems that they are just a few steps closer towards seeing a shrink.  It's a pity seeing the future hall of famer, on his 17th season, leading the league in scoring and a 5-time world champion, Kobe Bryant, just keeps falling short of taking care of business on the court.

 Meanwhile, all the Lakers Nation can do is pray that Steve Nash can return as soon as possible. Of course, they will be a better team with a healthy Steve Nash and Pau Gasol on the lineup, offensive-wise. On defense, they just need to stop opponents from scoring, period. D'Antoni lashing at a reporter on camera that they practiced for half an hour on defense, the quote of the year so far, were signs that even the coach is cracking under stress. No, the Iron Man and the Lakers are not  rusty at all. They just need to get rid of all the emotional baggage right now, and wining will come back naturally to the team. They need to win first though,  before they can feel better again. Will it be the chicken or the egg?

--------------

Next up:

LA Lakers at Washington, Friday, December 14
New York home to Cleveland, Saturday, December 15

Here is the Bet On Sports  Complete Matchup tool to check on Lakes stats.

To bet on your team, go to NBA Betting Lines.