LAL=M.I.A.

In what turned out to be an absolute slaughter, Kevin Durant and the Thunder beat the Lakers 110–89, tying the series at 2 games apiece. I shouldn’t be writing a recap right now. My blood pressure is raised, my heart is beating quickly, my anger is about to boil over, and my thoughts are very negative. I’m not upset at KD and the Thunder though. They did their job and beat LA soundly. I’m angry with the Lakers.

I could sit here and talk about everything LA did wrong this game. From the 24 fast break points OKC scored, to the 48 free throws OKC attempted, to the fact OKC outscored LA in all but the fourth quarter. I could talk of how the Thunder kept a fast tempo in the game, leading to transition baskets and Laker fouls. I could say something about the 22 three-pointers LA took even though they were only shooting 18% from beyond the arc. I could mention that OKC scored 38% of their points (42) off free throws. I could also talk about the continual lack of defense on Russell Westbrook who continues to score 15+ ppg. But I’m not going to talk about that. What I want to talk about is the actual Laker team.

No Laker player scored over 13 points tonight. Pathetic. The Lakers committed 30 fouls. That’s almost 1/3 of their point total. You know what that shows? An attitude of apathy. And anyone who watched the game tonight could see it.

Like a deadly cancer, an attitude of apathy has spread throughout the team. Players are settling for 3-pointers rather than driving to the lane. Guards are putting up ugly shots rather than using the definite size advantage in the paint. Sloppy dribbling is leading to turnovers. Shots are put up without players to rebound. Defenders are fouling rather than hustling back to defend the fast break. The apathy is sickening.

This isn’t street ball. You can’t live on the long ball. No player is on their own in these games. Five players are on the court, and five players should be involved in each play.

But you know who I’m most upset with? You probably guessed it—Kobe Bryant. Kobe had 13 points tonight and didn’t even take a shot until 18 minutes into the game. But more than that, Kobe’s performance in the last 4 games has been atrocious.

Kobe is shooting 37% in the series. He’s averaging roughly 25 points, 3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. He has more personal fouls than rebounds or assists in the series. Doesn’t sound like last year’s MVP. Doesn’t sound like a defending champion. Doesn’t sound like a guy who wants to earn his 5th championship ring. Sounds more like a guy who deserves to be playing on an eight-seeded team. Sounds like a guy who deserves to be benched.

Kobe Bryant has long been mentioned when talking about some of the greatest players in the game, definitely one of the greatest of this generation. But great players rise to the occasion. Great players find a way to score in a slump or get their teammates involved. Great players realize the problems of a team and work to fix them. Great players don’t fade into the background when their team needs them most.

If Kobe wants to solidify his name in the history books as one of the game’s greatest players, he needs to do more than score 13 points in a critical game. He needs to do more to score rather than settling for not one free throw attempt in a game (Game 3). I know he’s dealing with a broken finger and an injured knee, but that’s no excuse. If he’s great, he will find a way.

But if the Lakers continue their apathetic play, acting as if a loss to a very talented Thunder team doesn’t mean anything, they can expect to be humiliated on the court. And quite honestly they deserve it. I’m glad LA lost tonight. Maybe now they will wake up and realize this isn’t the regular season. This is the playoffs. They need to start playing like the team that won it all last year.

This series is now tied. EVERY GAME COUNTS. Anything can happen. A loss by either team means game point for the other team. Every basket, rebound, foul, steal, assist, and 3-point shot matters.

Will the Lakers play apathetically with their backs against a wall? We’ll see on Tuesday.

Game 5 Info: Tuesday, April 27, 7:30pm PDT, in LA, on TNT