Everyone in the sports world was surprised when the Houston Rockets, despite Yao Ming being out with a broken foot, beat the Lakers yesterday. Okay, so up until the 4th quarter it was more of an ass kicking. The series is now tied 2-2. Should Laker’s fans be worried? Yes and no.

On the one hand, I think if they start making their shots the Lakers should come out of the series okay, especially tomorrow night’s game at the Staples Center. I think the Rockets explosive performance was a mixture of emotion due to the loss of Yao Ming and being able to consistently hit three pointers. I think in the next two games their luck will diminish.

The problem arises in round three when the Laker’s play the Nuggets (and in the Finals against probably the Cavs, if they make it). The Nuggets have had quite a successful playoffs thus far and I don’t expect them to take defeat sitting down. They’ve proven to be quite an explosive team, and the Laker’s have been extremely lackluster defensively. In yesterday’s game against the Rockets, I noticed how in the zone defense L.A. would double team players like Ron Artest, leaving Shane Battier wide open in the corner to knock down an easy three pointer. That’s lazy D.

If the Lakers want to finish the current series and have any chance of beating the Nuggets, let alone the Eastern Conference Champions in the Finals, they need to seriously reassess their tactics. The team has recenly put all their eggs in one basket—the Kobe basket. The performances of Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher have been especially disappointing. If they hope to be a championship team, they need to start playing like a team and utilize everyone, not just Kobe and Gasol. And they need to be more smart and decisive on the defensive end.

Hopefully Phil Jackson understands all of this. If they can’t turn things around, you’re going to see the Denver Nuggets playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.