Nah, not really. If you looked at their Pythagorean prediction of their record (based on the teams' point differential) then their record ended up right about where you would expect. All we saw at the end of the year was them getting into the toughest part of their schedule and playing at a level consistent with their overall talent level. But I do agree that they should be in the mix for a low playoff seed this year. No Kobe for the first couple of months seems likely, so seems about right.
