Here are three lessons from the loss to the Brooklyn Nets
Well, we can’t say that we didn’t warn anyone that follows the Lake Show Life Lessons series that this wasn’t coming. To the Los Angeles Lakers fans that haven’t learned about this site yet, they might want to read about it, because the staff knew it was coming.
It wasn’t that difficult to realize that the now favored Los Angeles Lakers were due for this letdown game against the Brooklyn Nets. They had just collected wins over every team that beat them earlier in the year.
- They defeated the Philadelphia 76ers on national TV on Tuesday on TNT after losing the night LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant for 3rd on the all time scoring list..
- Then they beat down the Milwaukee Bucks in an overly hyped matchup between MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James on ESPN. That game punched the Lakers ticket to the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
- Then came Sunday, in front of the NBA world, the Lakers took care of the Los Angeles Clippers to win their first (And important!) game of the season series.
Now with every media outlet and “expert” talking about the Lakers being the new odds on favorite to win the championship, it added up to a case of “Feeling yourselves gone wrong” with a 104-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Let’s get the excuses out-of-the-way shall we?
- The Houston Rockets are in town on Thursday and the Lakers overlooked the Nets.
- After playing two tough games against championship contenders, the Lakers were tired and a bit a bit sluggish.
- It was just one of those games.
This was a bad loss for the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only do they have a legitimate shot at passing the Bucks for the best record in the NBA, but with the Clippers running over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, the Lakers gave back a game that they earned on Sunday. At this point in the season, four of the Lakers’ last seven losses have been to below .500 teams. Although they are 16-7 in that span, the Los Angeles Lakers can’t afford to fall asleep at the wheel..
Sure, everyone will talk about how LeBron James made the right “basketball” play kicking it out to Anthony Davis for the game winner. Just take a look at Kevin Durant’s face when AD raised up to shoot. Even he thought it was good.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1237605959913967618
There are no issues with AD missing this shot. If he didn’t hit timely shots in the 4th quarter, the Lakers wouldn’t have even got to this point. This is the play that needs some dialogue. With the Los Angeles Lakers down two points with a chance to tie. LeBron James smoked the layup like a pack of Kools.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1237605435659571202
The loss drops the Los Angeles Lakers to 49-14 and while the team gets Wednesday off before playing the Rockets on Thursday at Staples Center, the NBA will be discussing its continuing response to the threat of the coronavirus. This will possibly the first time two NBA teams play in an empty gym with no fans in attendance. LeBron James stated that he would not play in an empty gym, but whatever. He has a contract like everybody else. He’ll be there unless he pulls the “sore groin” issue out of the hat.
As for this game, the narrative will be that this kind of loss happens over the course of an NBA season. Sure it does. It happens all of the time. The Lakers really did try to make a game of this down the stretch after sleepwalking against a less talented Nets team that’s on its best behavior after throwing its head coach, Kenny Atkinson under the bus over the weekend. His firing actually made the New York Knicks take a break as the dysfunctional team in the Big Apple.
Wrap your head around the Lakers allowing two Nets bench players in Chris Chiozza and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot combine for 24 points.
Outside of the two superstars (One showed up late!) and Kyle Kuzma, the rest of the Lakers were bad and Frank Vogel’s rotations brought Avery Bradley back to Earth.
Let’s get to a very irritable Lake Show Life Lessons.