Los Angeles Lakers Fall on the Road to Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks: Fan’s Reaction

On Friday, Feb. 10, the Los Angeles Lakers dropped a 92-85 thriller to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Kobe Bryant led the team with 31 points while Pau Gasol scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds.

Here are three thoughts on the game:

Jeremy Lin is for real

Mike D'Antoni's best teams have always operated with an outstanding point guard. He relied on Steve Nash to serve as the Suns' playmaker when he coached the Suns, and now it appears that D'Antoni has found the right player to spearhead the Knicks' offense. Jeremy Lin scored 38 points and added seven assists to lead the Knicks over the Lakers. It still feels a bit odd to say that, but it's true. This was Lin's game from the moment it tipped off. I don't know if he can keep it up or not, but the one thing I do know is that Lin is for real. He's a fearless penetrator who is also a solid perimeter shooter. That type of player is dangerous is D'Antoni's offense. Lin is a player to watch in New York.

The Lakers were tired

I don't think it's a coincidence that both the Lakers and the Boston Celtics lost a night after their huge rivalry game at TD Garden. The NBA's condensed 66-game schedule is hurting the older teams in the league. That's just how it is. The Lakers were tired on Friday, and they should be after playing five road games in eight days. I thought the fatigue level was most obvious with Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Less than a day after both players dominated the Celtics in the paint, they were routinely out-muscled by the Knicks frontcourt. Actually, I think out-muscled is an understatement. Bynum and Gasol were dominated by the Knicks' forwards all night.

Unfortunately, there's little rest for the weary. The Lakers will begin a 7-game, 12-day stretch on Sunday, Feb. 12. It's going to be a long season, Lakers fans.

Offensive woes

The Lakers are inept on offense. There's no other way to say it. The Knicks aren't the best defensive team in the NBA, but they often made the Lakers look foolish on Friday night. The team had multiple opportunities to create something in their half-court offense. However, the Lakers blew those chances by forcing shots from 20 feet out instead of looking for an open player. The Knicks did a lot of double-teaming, especially on Bryant, which left other Lakers open for shots.

This team lacks creativity with the basketball. Mike Brown's teams in Cleveland suffered with the same problems, and now those issues are the Lakers' to work out. I'm not sure if there's a clear cut solution for the issue, but one thing is clear: the Lakers need a point guard to force the action and create plays. Derek Fisher will always be a Laker. However, he's not the player to lead the backcourt any longer.

Derek Ciapala has been a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers since childhood. His favorite Lakers' moment is when they beat the Detroit Pistons 108-105 in Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.