The Lakers are Giving Reasons to Believe: What's Different About This Hot Streak

The Lakers have won eight of nine, and the ninth was a loss in Denver to the Nuggets that, even with a terrible first three minutes, was there for the taking in the final possessions of the game. Slowly and consistently, they've started chipping away at the most common criticisms. They only beat bad teams, not good ones. The defense can't perform at a high level. The Big Three can't win minutes on the floor together. It's not quite safe to say the Lakers have solved all of those problems, but signs are definitely positive. At some point, it's reasonable to believe they should be seen to be as good, and with as good a chance of doing damage in the postseason, as any of the teams in the Western Conference's 2nd tier (i.e. not OKC or San Antonio). Of course, if the Lakers really want to make believers out of people (and, if we're being frank, significantly boost their own confidence), strong performances against the Rockets this week (Monday and Wednesday, both in Houston) will go...