Record Is Good, but Potential Is Better

The season is more than halfway over and the Lakers still haven’t come close to playing to their potential for an extended stretch. In some camps, this might be a concern, but for a team that is 33-12 and has won 20 of the last 25 games, the notion that the Lakers are atop the Pacific Division as the All-Star break nears without having yet hit stride is a comfort.

“We honestly feel we are still a little rough-edged and just that there are things we can do yet to improve,� Coach Del Harris said. “Maybe I’m as unrealistic as the fans who think we should never lose a game and win every game by 20 points. Nevertheless, we still feel like we have a lot of potential.�

“I don’t think we’ve played great basketball,� veteran guard Byron Scott said. “I think we’re playing good basketball. But I think we can play better and we will play better.

“It is a good feeling for any team in our situation. It helps your confidence knowing you haven’t played your best and you’re in first place anyway. You know if you play 10 games at your best that you’ll pretty much blow everybody away.�