Don't worry about the Lakers

Loss to Hornets not so much a sign of things to come, but more of a wake-up call for the two-time defending champs.

In 1980, the U.S. Olympic Hockey team defeated the U.S.S.R. 3-2 in arguably the biggest upset in sports history.  On January 25, 1998, the Packers were stunned by the Denver Broncos, an 11 point underdog, by seven points, 35-28.  And yes, in the 2006 Elite Eight, the UCONN Men's Basketball team lost to George Mason, an 11 seed, in overtime by two points.  What do all of these things have in common?  Yes, they are all upsets, that much is apparent.  However, on one night, they shocked a clearly better team and cemented their place in sports history.  Don't get me wrong, they deserved every last bit of it, and now have a place in their respective sport's folklore, but... it was one game.  For the Hornets to pull off arguably the biggest upset in NBA Playoffs history, they will need to beat the Lakers, a team that has faced adversity over the course of this season. 

So, Laker fans, before you hit the panic button, just take a deep breath, and look at the glass half full, because, although they are down 1-0, they over match New Orleans at nearly every position, with the exception of the Point Guard position.  Let's look at the teams' respective benches, shall we?  First, the Lakers have arguably the Sixth Man of the Year, a Perennial All-Star in Lamar Odom, who most argue is the third best player on the Lakers behind Pau and Kobe.  Okay, let's go further down the bench.  Matt Barnes.  His defense has been a focal point for the Lakers' success this year, a Ron Artest type player who brings energy and tenacity on defense, as well as being able to knock down the occasional perimeter jumper.  Really, who do the Hornets have on their bench that can produce anything worth bragging about?  Willie Green possesses an ability to get to the basket, but other than that, the Hornets are, quite frankly, a team with no depth at all.  So, the game one loss for Los Angeles is nothing more than a mere wake up call, as they simply have too much talent to lose in a seven game series to a much inferior team.