The Los Angeles Lakers saw their title quest come to a disappointing end at the hands of their tormentor, the Denver Nuggets. With LeBron James' and Anthony Davis' championship windows closing fast, anything but a ring won't be considered a success for the team and its superstars.
Not even the Lakers clinching the inaugural In-Season Tournament title is enough as a consolation. Hilariously, though, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass didn't get the memo. She posted a message addressed to the team on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledging how tough the season was for the Lakers and seeing the NBA Cup trophy as a silver lining.
Keeping the receipts
Someone from the mayor's team probably caught wind of the gaffe, as the post is now deleted and has been replaced by a generic tweet thanking the Lakers and telling them, "You left it all on the floor."
It's true, though, that the Purple and Gold gave their all against the Nuggets. Despite the series ending via a gentleman's sweep, the matchups were incredibly competitive, much like how it was when Denver showed the Lakers the broom in the Western Conference Finals.
In the rematch, two of Los Angeles' losses (Games 2 and 5) came down the wire and would have gone into overtime if it hadn't been for Jamal Murray's miraculous game-winners.
The Lakers also could have changed their fortunes had they executed better in their first three losses. All of those defeats saw them building leads of at least 10 points in the first half. However, their execution in the second half of those meetings was lacking.
Heading into a crucial offseason
Considering how the squad's 2023-24 campaign ended, perhaps the Lakers faithful should actually be thankful for how it fared in the In-Season Tournament. Of course, the IST championship won't ever be an adequate replacement for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Still, the tournament showed that Los Angeles could turn it up when needed.
A few changes in the coaching staff and the roster in the coming offseason appear necessary, though, if the organization wants to become a legitimate contender next season.
But before anything else, the Lakers have to wait for James' decision to stay or leave. The 39-year-old star was non-committal when asked about his future with the franchise . Davis said he will actively recruit LeBron to return for a seventh tour of duty in Los Angeles while they prepare for and play in the Olympics together.
If the four-time MVP decides his time with the Lakers is up, at least the fans would have the 2020 title and the 2023 IST championship to look back on when reminiscing about the LeBron era.
Related: Video: Leak audio of LeBron James jumpscaring a fan surfaces "You're a f*cking crybaby!"
Local Los Angeles, CA
Most Popular
Comments / 0