Bynum No Longer a Luxury for Lakers?
He (Andrew Bynum) started off the series with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocks in Game 1 — registering the first playoff triple-double by a Laker since Magic Johnson in 1991 while tying the league’s playoff record for blocked shots.
He backed that up with a personal playoff career high of 27 points in Game 2 to go with nine rebounds and two blocks.
Then came Bynum’s first half of Game 3: zero points on 0-for-3 shooting, five rebounds, one blocked shot and a 16-point deficit to the Nuggets after they led by as many as 24 in what turned out to be a 99-84 Denver win.
Bynum proved his value just as much in his struggles as he did when he shined. Quite simply, Bynum isn’t a bonus for the Lakers any longer. He’s a necessity. If he doesn’t show up, even if it’s just for a half — heck, even if it’s just for a quarter — the Lakers are in jeopardy as evidenced Friday’s result.
“I wasn’t ready to play,” Bynum said after the game. “That’s really it. I just wasn’t really ready.”
The lapse was enough to breathe new life into the Nuggets, who looked hapless in L.A. but downright dominant in the first half in Denver.
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