COMMENTARY | Many Los Angeles Lakers fans may be rejoicing after seeing terrific performances from its best players, namely Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, but at this point, the team has only done what it's supposed to do in winning two first round playoff games at home.
They'll have to do more of it -- and get continued strong contributions from the reserves in order to have a real shot at winning a 17th NBA title. Before being anointed champions again, the Lakers will have to face substantial tests against the NBA's best teams. These tests won't be simple in any fashion. The Denver Nuggets are a good team, but the Lakers will need to beat great teams multiple times to win it all.
Kobe Bryant once remarked that he didn't think people understood or appreciated just how difficult it is win a title. Even if a team is talented, it still takes all of the pieces to fall into place in order to be the team holding the trophy at the end of a long, hard-fought season.
Nothing should be taken away from the Lakers in two great wins. But to reiterate the insignificance of two victories at home against a sixth seed, it's only the beginning of a long road ahead.
There are a lot of positives to take away from the Lakers' first two wins in the series against the Denver Nuggets, despite being the favorites. In the absence of Metta World Peace, role players like Jordan Hill have stepped in and made positive strides forward. His play has been particularly inspiring and bodes well for the much-maligned Lakers bench upon the team's return to full strength.
But champions are supposed to be able to overcome small road bumps like what the Lakers faced after World Peace was suspended seven games. Bynum and Bryant look like the one-two punch that Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal once formed during the first three titles of the Phil Jackson era in Los Angeles.
The postseason is when players step up and raise their games to new heights, and the Lakers have done that to this point in the early stages of the 2012 NBA playoffs, but there is a long road ahead. How the team plays on the road at high altitude will be a good litmus test for the direction the team is headed in for the rest of the playoffs. Does it have what it takes to win on the road when the stakes are high? It's a valid question since the Lakers struggled on the road many times this in big games during the regular season.
It's not time for Los Angeles to be cynical, but fans should temper their expectations. There are incredibly talented teams lying in wait should the Lakers advance past the Nuggets, and they will require the best shot from Kobe, Bynum, and the rest of the Lakers.
Michael C. Jones is a Yahoo! Featured Contributor in Sports and southern California native, covering the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA. Follow Michael on Twitter: @MikeJonesTweets.
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