In Los Angeles, it’s typical for film sequels to outshine their predecessor. Follow-ups tend to have higher production value, bigger staging, and deeper character development. The most typical pitfall in sequels is that they retread the original picture’s strong points and only gloss over elements that fall short.

So far in this very young season, the Los Angeles Lakers’ follow-up to last year has been befitting of Hollywood. This follow-up is bigger, tighter, and leaner.

What’s more is that through three games their play has been more than the mere blockbuster second act: it has fixed the one glaring plot weakness of the original. By playing defense, Hollywood’s team has done a major restyling and is closer to a reboot than a sequel.

It would be difficult to find many people who don’t agree that the Lakers have been overwhelming through their first three games. As the NBA’s marquee franchise, they opened the year with nationally televised games on back-to-back nights, both of which were landslides.

Each blowout win saw Los Angeles playing defense with a commitment and zeal that they never came close to approaching last year. It appears that Phil Jackson’s coaching staff learned something while the team was getting kicked in the teeth by the Celtic’s defense during the Finals. Jackson has the Lakers employing a modified version of Tom Thibodeau’s strong-side help zone and the results so far speak volumes.

The Lakers’ defense shut down the Blazers utterly in a 96-76 blowout on opening night. Portland only scored 34 points in the entire first half, as Los Angeles was rotating, talking and helping each other to insure that Portland had no open looks. Portland shot .345 (29-84) from the floor for the game and suffered multiple shot clock violations.

The next night, the Lakers ran the Clippers off the floor. Kobe Bryant lead his team by smothering the Clippers guards, as only Baron Davis was able to consistently get into the lane. Even when Davis did foray into the paint, Andrew Bynum stood tall and challenged any easy looks.

The ridiculous final score of 117-79 accurately depicts how in control the Lakers were, but that huge winning margin is not nearly as important as the general commitment to a philosophy of playing consistent defense.

While their game against Denver on Saturday night showed that their defense is still susceptible to being beat by quick perimeter ball movement, the team’s guards still jumped open passing lanes and secured steals when necessary.

The defense also clamped down on in the fourth quarter, holding Denver to 33.3% shooting during crunch-time.

More important than the results (as impressive as they’ve been), is that Lakers other than Kobe Bryant have finally committed to playing defense. The team’s collective mantra is still on scoring with blazing efficiency, but now to make quality stops as well.

Bryant and other Laker veterans like Derek Fisher are the first to admit that it is way too early to know whether this defensive intensity is here to stay or not. What is clear is that to win in June success must start with defense, something Boston made painfully clear last season

The defense will continue to be a work-in-progress though. It will take a level of focus and dedication that younger Lakers such as Bynum and Jordan Farmar have never showed consistently. Bynum’s length makes him a formidable pillar underneath, but he must work within Jackson’s more aggressive, disruptive defensive scheme to protect the rim.

If Los Angeles needs proof of what communicating on defense can do for a team, they need only look at the banner now hanging in the rafters of Boston’s TD Waterhouse Garden. The Celtics won last year because they worked harder than every other team and never quit on their commitment to disruptive strong-side zoning.

There are nights that their shots won’t fall, even with all the offensive talent they have. That is when a concerted effort on the defensive end will carry them.

Moving forward, they must tighten up against dribble-penetration and weakside corner rotation when the ball moves quickly across the zone. That will lead to more quality fastbreaks, where Bryant and others like Trevor Ariza have the athleticism to shine.

Three games in the first week of November mean nothing. What might mean everything though is that the Lakers look like they finally care about defense.

If that lasts all season, look out.

Photo Credit: ICON Sports Media