Is this the season?

Last night, I was watching Game 7 of the Bulls/Celtics series (which the Celtics won... ugh...), and I saw something in the Bulls that reminded me of my Lakers:

A lack of a consistent killer instinct.

Back in the days when Kobe and Shaq played beautifully together, the Lakers would pull together to do whatever it took to finish off an opponent (e.g. Game 7 vs. the Blazers in the 2000 Western Conference Finals). We knew we needed to win, and we wouldn't stop until we did exactly that... win.

That was then, this is now.

Over the last few seasons, the Lakers have continued to be a very talented team, but we've just been missing that extra... that extra "umph." I realized that when we lost to the Suns back in the first round of the 2006 playoffs. And my realization was later emphasized last season with our Game 6 loss to the Celtics in the Finals.

So how do we overcome this? (Note: when I say "we," I mean the Lakers. Just to clarify.) To be honest, I have no idea. As good, and as skilled, and as talented as Kobe is... and as clutch as he can be, I still don't see that consistent killer instinct, night in and night out, like I saw in the past with MJ, the "Bad Boys" of Detroit, or even now with LeBron for that matter.

Okay, so I just attributed a quality to King James that Kobe doesn't have. Sorry. But if anyone remembers the Cavaliers' Game 5 win over the Pistons two years ago, you understand where I'm coming from.

Let me clarify something else right quick, though. I started out discussing the Lakers' lack of killer instinct, and then I ended up talking about Kobe's lack of killer instinct. Why? Because a team gets its strength from the head. For example, if the coach doesn't know what they're doing, then, no matter how much talent the team has, they won't know what they're doing either.

I know, I know. Kobe isn't the coach. But he's assumed a clear leadership role on the team, and, as a result, the team looks to him for direction. Therefore, to put it plainly, if he doesn't go hard, then the team won't go hard.

But anyway, I don't expect the Lakers to make this killer instinct clear every single night. The fact of the matter is, we're still one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the NBA. Some nights, we just won't have to go as hard as other nights.

However, in those big games where we need to go hard... well, we need to go hard. Talent doesn't win games on its own. Bummer.

So will this be the season that the championship returns to Los Angeles? It depends. If we want the championship badly enough, we'll get it. But that's all it depends on.

Do we have the ability to win it? Yes.

Do we want to win it? I would think so.

Do we want to win it more than the Cavaliers, the Celtics, or any other team still in the playoffs? That's the question... and I really don't know.

Is this the season that we actually will win it? We'll see.