Due to Amar'e Stoudemire's recurring back injury, the starting and rotation of the Supersonics' frontcourt were always unstable.
As the old saying goes, transitioning from luxury to frugality is difficult, and that was the Supersonics' biggest challenge this season.
In the past few years, the frontcourt was their strength, and they could compete with anyone unflinchingly, but now they could only rely on their perimeter players. However, without the support of the frontcourt's rebounds, the perimeter's confidence in offense was somewhat weaker.
This was especially evident in the game against the Lakers at the end of December.
This season, the Lakers could be described as the most mediocre team in the Western Conference, with Pau Gasol inside and Kobe outside. These two could keep a playoff spot, but the Lakers had always only targeted championships historically; they were not the type of team satisfied just by making the playoffs.
