The Lakers really had just two things working for them in Tuesday’s 109-107 win over the Raptors:

1. A frontline and a wing scorer who are capable of putting up 20 of 31 third quarter points in the paint when they make an absolute concerted effort to attack the basket.

2. The best big shot shotmaker of the past 15 years.

Even though the Lakers pulled out an exciting come from behind victory capped off by a game-winning baseline shot from Kobe Bryant, the mood in the locker room was one of disappointment and frustration to have been in such a tight game against a team that had just lost five of their past six games in the first place.

The Lakers are not currently at the level they were at last season; they realize it and are growing tired being constantly asked about it.

“This thing tonight was garbage,” said Bryant after the game in a tone that showed more disappointment than anger.

How exactly did the Lakers put themselves into a situation where they trailed by eight points heading into halftime?

Phil Jackson spoke before the game about how the Lakers have been the best first quarter team in the NBA for much of the season, but that they routinely give back a lot of those advantages.

Jackson made an emphasis of touching on that point again during his postgame press conference.

"There's a period of a time when it looked like we would play it right in the first quarter, but we came out and spoiled it in the second quarter,” said Jackson.

The Lakers scored 14 points in the paint in the first quarter, but just two in a second quarter in which the Raptors outscored them by 13 points.

With Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, the Lakers have the game’s best tandem of seven-foot scorers by a wide margin and must carry the offense when jumpers aren’t falling as they were in the second quarter.  

With the point guard position not having the ball with great frequency and because Kobe is less a creator for others than someone like LeBron James or even Dwyane Wade, the Lakers are almost entirely reliant on the low post to score easy baskets.

The Lakers are ranked 20th in the NBA in assists per field goal made. During the 08-09 season, the Lakers were ranked eighth in this statistic, when 57.7% of their field goals came on an assist. The drop down to 54.8% this season is not statistically insignificant and is at least part of the reason why the Lakers have fallen from third in offensive efficiency at 112.8 to 11th at 108.8.

The Lakers are 34-1 when they finish games with at least 20 assists this season. Against Toronto, the Lakers finished with one assist shy of 20 with 19, punctuated by the unassisted Kobe game-winner.

Here are the assists per 36 minutes totals for players with at least 1,000 minutes for the 09-10 season:

Kobe Bryant: 4.5

Lamar Odom: 4.0

Pau Gasol: 3.3

Ron Artest: 3.3

Jordan Farmar: 3.2

Derek Fisher: 3.2

Shannon Brown: 2.5

Andrew Bynum: 1.2

Here are the assists per 36 minutes totals for players with at least 1,000 minutes for the 08-09 season:

Luke Walton: 5.5 (1)

Kobe Bryant: 4.9

Jordan Farmar: 4.7

Derek Fisher: 3.8

Pau Gasol: 3.4

Lamar Odom: 3.2

Sasha Vujacic: 3.1

Trevor Ariza: 2.6

Andrew Bynum: 1.8

Here are the assists per 36 minutes totals for players with at least 1,000 minutes for the 01-02 season, their final title year during the Shaq era:

Kobe Bryant: 5.1

Rick Fox: 4.5

Robert Horry: 3.9

Derek Fisher: 3.3

Shaquille O’Neal: 3.0

Lindsey Hunter: 2.9

Devean George: 2.3

Samaki Walker: 1.4

Here are the assists per 36 minutes totals for players with at least 1,000 minutes during Chicago’s 72-win season:

Scottie Pippen: 5.8

Toni Kukoc: 4.9

Michael Jordan: 4.1

Ron Harper: 4.0

Steve Kerr: 3.6

Dennis Rodman: 2.8

Luc Longley: 2.6

Bill Wennington: 1.6

The Bulls ranked 13thin the NBA in assists per field goal made with 61.7% during that 95-96 season.

Phil Jackson’s teams have never been especially high on the assist. Some of that is due to the nature of the triangle, but it is also because he has always had the unquestioned best wing scorer in the game in either Kobe or Michael Jordan. During all of his Finals appearances with the Lakers, Jackson has also had incredibly strong interior scoring in O’Neal and then the pairing of Gasol and Bynum.

The two things that have helped hide this problem for the Lakers is their second ranked defense and Kobe’s ability to will out victories in late game situations with his shotmaking.

“That’s why baseball has closers,” said Kobe.

As the Lakers begin to wind down the regular season and fine-tune for what will likely be a two-month playoff season, they will need more easy wins that avoid Kobe's heroics and much of that will be predicated on easy buckets.

The Lakers are the most dangerous offensive team in the NBA when they get better ball movement leading to high quality looks, especially in transition. It is a hallmark of their game, particularly when Odom is in as power forward.

Offsetting that type of offensive attack with the secondary options of Bynum and Gasol backing down in the past and Kobe in isolation will allow the Lakers to become a top-five team in offensive efficiency again.

This is the type of basketball Jackson has the Lakers emphasizing out of the locker room before the game and after the half, but it needs to continue consistently for all four quarters to beat playoff teams soundly.

Note

1.) It has seemed like an insignificant absence, but Luke Walton's injury has hurt the Lakers in the area of ball movement. He has consistently been one of the game's best wing passers throughout his career and his five-man unit in 08-09 with Bryant, Fisher, Odom and Gasol was the Lakers' most effective with at least 100 minutes.