When it comes to contending, they're not good enough, and there probably isn't a move left on the chessboard to change that. This takes us to the tournament quarterfinals this week. Over the last two years, one of the thoughts that's gone through my head whenever I’ve seen James play in person is, "How many more? " As in, how many more times will I get to see the GOAT 2. 0 operate in the flesh? And in particular, how many more times will I get to see him play, still, at such an elite level? I think about it a little when I see Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry too, but the thought hits more urgently now when I’m in the building for LeBron.
Lakers host Suns in final NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinalAt 12-9 through Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers are hardly atrocious — they're actually on pace to win more games than a season ago. But with a negative scoring margin against a relatively soft early schedule, it’s hard to envision this team contending for anything important. Injuries to secondary players are a lame excuse when they’ve had the most important ones available every night: LeBron James and Anthony Davis have played 20 of their 21 games, and Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell all 21.
The Lakers around him aren’t some juggernaut on the rise either; Davis is 29 and hasn’t played more than 62 games in a season since 2017-18. The other key players are in their primes, but there is no young phenom on the roster ready to raise the Lakers’ ceiling, and they're unlikely to pick high enough to get one in the immediate future. (Even if they did, New Orleans, with an option to take LA's pick in either 2024 or 2025, would just snatch it away. ) The siren song of cap space is unlikely to deliver a savior on the Lakers' doorstep either; today’s league is all about getting the bag now, via a contract extension, and demanding a trade later.
Lakers 100-95 Suns (Oct 26, 2023) Final Score - ESPNGame LeadersK. DurantPF - PHX39PTS14/28FG10/13FTA. DavisPF - LAL30PTS10/17FG9/10FTTeam StatsPHXLALField Goal%42. 042. 9Three Point%29. 017. 2Turnovers2416Rebounds4942Game Informationcrypto. com Arena10:00 PM, October 26, 2023Coverage: TNTLos Angeles, CA Line: LAL -6.
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Watching him unable to stop his team from getting boat-raced last week in Philadelphia drove that point home a bit more emphatically. Beyond that, however, there’s a second question with James that we might ask even more urgently: How many more times will we get to see him in a big game, one with real consequences? Even last season, his Lakers rallied to the Western Conference finals after a forgettable regular season. But the West looks much stronger this season, and James is a year older. While it’s mind-blowing what he’s able to do at age 38 (this is an argument to be made under separate cover, but he’s almost certainly the best old guy in the history of the NBA), the soft underbelly part of that statement is the "age 38" part.
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers Watch the Phoenix Suns at the Los Angeles Lakers with NBA League Pass. Broadcast restrictions may apply. UPCOMINGMar 2, 2021 10:00 PM EST. Los Angeles, USA.
Again, it's not that the Lakers are a bad team; it’s just that there seems to be no clear way for them to catch up to the Denvers and Bostons of the league, let alone stay level with teams like the Sixers and Thunder that blew them away last week. Here's what I'm getting at: If we’re being honest with ourselves, there's a decent-to-good chance that we’ve already seen LeBron James play in late May for the final time, which means Tuesday's game against Phoenix — a winnable one at home against a club the Lakers have already beaten twice — might be among the most meaningful ones left in his career.
Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers Live Scoreboard Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers Live ScoreboardYouTube · NBA82.9K+ views · 1 month ago YouTube · NBA YouTube · NBA 5:15:35 2 key moments 2 key moments in this video in this video
