The Elephant, err Bull, in the Room for the Lakers

The regular NBA season starts today (Oct. 27), and in addition to defending their NBA title, the Los Angeles Times reports some rumblings about the Lakers’ potential to beat the Chicago Bulls’ record 72-win season in 1995-96. Prior to winning their 15th NBA title, the Lakers won 65 games in the regular season, and tonight they begin another season against hometown rivals, the Clippers, with the Times asking the question, “Can the Lakers beat the almost mythical regular-season record for victories in a season, set by the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in 1995-96 on the way to an NBA championship?”

While it is common knowledge that Kobe Bryant, with four NBA championships under his belt, is trying to match Jordan’s six, he has also quietly mentioned beating the Bulls’ record. After being prompted by the Times, however, Kobe would only say, “That’s the goal, try to get better every year. Last year we had games where was lost maybe three right at the buzzer, and we could have won 68 games.” In addition to having the best player in the NBA (for the Bulls it was Jordan, for the Lakers it’s Bryant), both the Bulls and the Lakers had a solid No. 2 player (for the Bulls it was Scottie Pippen, for the Lakers it’s Pau Gasol) and a wild card (for the Bulls it was Dennis Rodman; for the Lakers it’s Ron Artest). And let’s not forget Phil Jackson, who led Chicago to that record (as well as six championships) and is in his 10th season with the Lakers.

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Posted in General on October 27, 2009

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