As the Los Angeles Lakers continue to struggle this season, a 107-102 loss to the Clippers seems to put things into perspective for center Dwight Howard who points out a major difference between the Lakers and other teams.
"Those guys on the Clippers team, they really enjoy each other off the court and it shows," Howard said Saturday after Lakers practice.
Chemistry, something that Howard thinks the Lakers lack.
"It's something we have to do to get better," he said. "We have to play like we like each other. Even if we don't want to be friends off the court, whatever that may be, when we step in between the lines or we step in the locker room or the gym, we have to respect each other and what we bring to the table.
"It really starts off the court. I think you have to have that relationship and that chemistry off the court for it to really blossom on the court. It takes time to develop that. You just don't come together and then expect to be best friends right away. It just doesn't happen like that."
Coach Mike D'Antoni weighed in on the topic and said if the Lakers' chemistry was lacking, it's because of lack of time together. For example, he says the relationship between Howard and point guard Steve Nash on pick and rolls is "not there yet."
"I don't know if it's because of a lack of training camp, or a lack of Steve being with us from the beginning, but the relationship between Steve and Dwight's got to get a lot better," D'Antoni said. "It's not creating the easy shots that we need."
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