Lakers poised to win

Ever see the movie "The Great White Hype"? \nIt's a satire on the boxing industry that matches a dominant champion against an unknown contender. During the weeks leading up to the fight, drama builds as the champion, James "The Grim Reaper" Roper, shows little care and does not prepare at all. \nThe challenger spends the time training hard and convincing the world that he can actually win the fight.\nIn the end, though, the champion -- fresh off cigarettes and ice cream -- turns out to be so much better that he wins in one round, on one punch.\nA glance at the NBA scene shows shocking similarities. \nEvery year, around this time, fans and journalists scare up any lingering sign of doubt and blow it way out of proportion. These pseudo-reasons portray the hope every fan has that just maybe, this year, the Los Angeles Lakers will not hoist the trophy come June.\nWe saw this last year. The media spent the entire season writing the Lakers' eulogy, citing poor team chemistry and strong play from other teams as reason for a "failed dynasty." And just like Roper, the champion awoke when the time came. LA ended the season with an eight-game winning streak and cruised to the title.\nAnother year, another set of absurd reasoning. So they lost to the Bulls twice. So they are only No.3 in the Western Conference. So what? Haven't we learned our lesson yet?\nThe Lakers get bored with the regular season. It is long, tedious and frankly, unnecessary. They get lazy and do not care if they occasionally lose games they shouldn't.\nCredit goes to teams like New Jersey, Minnesota, Detroit and Sacramento, as they bring us excitement during the regular season. \nTheir success and exciting play are fun to watch night in and night out. The fire and determination that brought them to the top of the league give us hope that the hard worker, the dedicated, determined group of players will show the Lakers how a true champion wins.\nBut the Lakers are just too good. Whenever they choose, they can wipe off the dust and beat any team in the NBA by 20 points. They are so far above any other team that they do not need the preparation that the regular season provides.\nBut, just like in "The Great White Hype," we can hope. It would certainly be nice to see Los Angeles stagger to the post-season starting line and stumble out of the gate, getting beaten by a smaller, weaker team that used desire to pull off the unthinkable. It would be nice to see Shaquille O'Neal rusty and Kobe Bryant as unpolished as he is right now.\nSo don't blame the media or other teams for creating a belief that there is actually a chance the Lakers will lose; that hope is what the NBA lives on right now. It is the only cause of excitement during a predictable, drawn out, over-rated regular season.