Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Particularly when the crown looks like it can be had.
The Los Angeles Lakers have won consecutive NBA championships, but their quest for a third appears strained.
The prideful Lakers are vulnerable. They are suddenly struggling to play with the other top teams, owning a 1-6 record against teams with better records. They have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games.
And they have already lost more games at home (eight) than they did all of last season (seven), or the season before (five).
The Lakers continue to display the kind of swagger expected of a two-time champion. They know previous regular seasons have had the rough times, only for them to right things once the real season started in the play-offs.
So maybe they are just not as focused, or not quite as hungry. And maybe they are playing exactly as good as they actually are.
One thing is for certain, their stumbles against the rest of the league's elite are swelling the confidence of their major threats.
The Boston Celtics recently handled the Lakers with ease in Los Angeles. The Miami Heat embarrassed them in Los Angeles in a nationally-televised Christmas Day game. And the San Antonio Spurs are 2-0 against the Lakers after last week's victory in Los Angeles.
The Lakers now trail the Spurs by seven games in the Western Conference, leaving them to battle for second. The Celtics, Heat and Chicago Bulls all have better records in the East.
"They're the best team in the NBA, regardless of what everybody says," Richard Jefferson, the Spurs forward, said. "There won't be a new champion until they lose in the play-offs."
There was drama aplenty last week after Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers general manager, said on Monday after the Lakers lost to the Celtics, he might have to make a trade to turn the Lakers' season around.
"I may have to look into a trade, but I'm not saying we have [talked to other teams]," Kupchak said. "We have not been playing up to our level and I don't know why. Maybe it's complacency."
That was followed by an on-line report that anonymous sources said Ron Artest wanted to be traded. It was quickly denied by Artest.
Sort of business as usual for the often-stormy Lakers. Artest, however, is clearly one of their problems. He is shooting just .408 per cent from the field and has not been the defence force of before.
Outside shooting has become something of a problem for the Lakers, making it difficult for them to consistently take advantage of their height inside with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.
The Lakers look shaky now, yet with a second half still to turn things around.
R E V I E W
Players of the week
• Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas. The German, below, averaged 26.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, hit all 29 of his free throws and shot 60 per cent in four games.
• Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers. The power forward averaged 27.3 points, 11 rebounds and shot 66 per cent in three games.
• Carmelo Anthony, Denver. Once the trade rumours died down, the Nuggets forward averaged 28.3 points per game.
Teams of the week
• Miami. The Heat won all four of their games, including a 104-100 victory over the Magic in Orlando.
• Dallas. The Mavericks continue to roll, pushing their winning streak to eight games with four more victories.
• Indiana. The Pacers (20-27) finally had something to get excited about, winning their three games.
Duds of the week
• Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee. The Bucks guard is struggling in his return from a broken foot. In four games, he averaged six points and 4.7 assists, while shooting 28 per cent.
• Ron Artest, Los Angeles Lakers. In four games, he averaged 7.5 points, shot .333 per cent from the field, hit on only two-of-13 three-pointers and averaged 3.5 rebounds.
• Cleveland: The Cavaliers lost every game again to push their losing streak at a record 24 consecutive games.
P R E V I E W
Games of the week
• Los Angeles Lakers at Boston, Thursday. The Lakers could use a bit of revenge after that 109-96 loss to the Celtics at home on January 30.
• Chicago at New Orleans, Saturday. A meeting between two teams that like to think they are on the rise.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Company%20Profile
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Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
HWJN
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The%20specs
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5