Perhaps we confused the Lakers’ chameleon nature as a weakness when it really is a strength. They seem to be able to adjust and adapt to any opponent, any situation, and beat you any way you want to play.

As is so often the case in a playoff game involving the Lakers, the story of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals does start with Kobe Bryant, but what is encouraging for Los Angles fans is the fact that Bryant serves only as a jumping off point – the Lakers won this game, and took direct control of this series, thanks a number of performances that had nothing do with Bryant.

While it is true that the Eastern Conference experienced a relatively quick turnaround from the last round, followers of the Western Conference powers have been forced to wait over a week to bare witness to more basketball excellence.

This year’s version of the Los Angeles Lakers is about as unpredictable and erratic as any title contender in recent memory. It does not take an expert to see that their effort is fickle, their play unreliable, from quarter to quarter, much less from game to game.

As much as Lakers fans’ own self-importance might drive them to say that the Lakers lost on Thursday night in game three of their opening round series, they would be mistaken. It does a disservice to the tremendous determination, and execution, of the Thunder to say that the Lakers beat themselves.

If the Lakers hope to win this series, they had best take care of the Thunder quickly, and as decisively as possible. If this series returns to Los Angeles next Tuesday tied at two games a piece, the Lakers will be in a world of trouble.

Presence, patience and persistence helped to define the Lakers victory Sunday afternoon.

Trevor talks about why the Lakers are vulnerable, how their experience will pay huge dividens and he disects the impact Kobe Bryant will have on the court over the next few weeks.

As the postseason inches ever closer, NBA fans everywhere are taking part in the standard rites of spring: breaking down their team’s playoffs odds, analyzing favorable player matches, and generally trying to assess the cast of characters they will become so very familiar with over the next two months.

If the Los Angeles Lakers are still looking to define that blueprint for excellence, they needn’t look further than the performance they produced Wednesday night against San Antonio.