Lakers can gain momentum, credibility. Next up, the Spurs

Sure, the Lakers knocked off the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, but that was easy. The Pistons are a great team. It’s not difficult to get fired up to play a great team. Any NBA bottom-feeders suffering through the anguish of a pitiful season can muster a spark of pride on a given night against a mighty opponent in order to stick a feather in their dunce caps.

The Lakers’ problem this year has been consistency. They can beat good teams and lose to lousy ones. So if they really want to prove they’re playoff worthy, they need to follow up that victory over Detroit with another against a middling foe, a team that is slogging through an underachieving season and that doesn’t pose nearly the challenge offered by the Pistons.

A team like the San Antonio Spurs, for instance.

On Monday night, the Lakers will try to keep their postseason momentum from sputtering again when the Spurs visit Staples Center. The Lakers have a two-game lead over Utah and 2.5 over Sacramento for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Leads like that tend to disappear faster than Lamar Odom, however. You just never know which Lakers’ team will show up. Or if one will show up at all.

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