Los Angeles Laker great Magic Johnson made headlines back in early December when he made his controversial comments about how the Lakers should put their pride aside and tank for the season:
“I hope the Lakers lose every game. Because if you’re going to lose, lose. And I’m serious.”
Johnson’s statement created a lot of debate as to whether or not the Lakers should give up, prompting him to defend himself on twitter. On Wednesday night, Johnson took to twitter after the Lakers’ 105-113 OT loss to the Milwaukee Bucks that show he still doesn’t necessarily want the Lakers to lose.
OJ Mayo just broke my heart, hitting that three to send the game into OT!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 5, 2015
Even though he stated the Lakers should lose “every game,” it’s obvious he still does want the team to win. After the loss, he even took it one step further by complimenting the team despite the arduous season.
The Lakers without Kobe, Hill and Randle are still playing hard and exciting basketball!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 5, 2015
Whether Johnson’s excitement is generated by the fact the Lakers lost, or because he genuinely thinks they played well, there’s no denying the Lakers are able to find ways to compete despite all the injuries to key players. The obvious problem is finding ways to compete for more than three quarters.
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One fact that should have Johnson and other Lakers’ fans excited is the possibility of them ending up with as many as four picks. Before losing to the Bucks, the Lakers had an 82.8% chance of being among the top five in the draft when it comes along in June.
There’s still a lot of scenarios needing to go the Lakers way, but with them losing another game tonight—be it a heartbreaker—picks from the Suns, Rockets and Clippers are all in the realm of possibility. Like Johnson said, the Lakers played well against the Bucks, but each loss has the chance for the Lakers to cash in on a big payday over the summer—which could bring along with it exciting basketball that matters.
Next: Lakers Blow 3rd and 4th Quarter Leads, Lose In Overtime
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