Mike D’Antoni Called the Lakers’ Performance ‘Muppet Time’ After Loss

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni quickly changed his tune from Showtime following a loss to the lowly Sacramento Kings last night, hilariously branding his team’s performance as “Muppet Time”. Per the LA Times and OC Register: “The team that can barely hang on to its ZIP Code had no problem shipping out the Lakers on Wednesday, 113-97, at Sleep Train Arena. […] Somehow, the Lakers completely failed to take advantage down low against the smaller Kings. Pau Gasol had eight points on three-for-10 shooting. Dwight Howard had seven points on four shots. Howard said he couldn’t remember the last time he had so few attempts. ‘There’s no explanation,’ Mike D’Antoni said flatly. ‘We’ve got another game coming up, so there’s no need to go back to tonight’s game. We will do a better job at both ends. I will and the team will.’ Their most embarrassing stat of the night was points in the paint. The Lakers had 22, the Kings had 50. ‘The ball didn’t move. Everybody wasn’t sharp,’ D’Antoni said. ‘It was like we were wrestling in mud. I’m serious. The first half, I was in shock.’ […] Kobe Bryant’s thoughts? ‘Pau had some good opportunities. He was a step slower tonight,’ Bryant said. ‘Dwight, they just seemed to corral him every chance they got. They just sat on him all night.’ […] ‘If we’re going to play ‘Showtime,’ they just closed the whole theater on us,’ said D’Antoni, who said a better name for this game was ‘Muppet Time.'”