The most vivid memory that Los Angeles Lakers fans will have of the Oklahoma City Thunder from this season comes from April 2, when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both went down with brutal injuries. That was the worst of it, but far from the full extent.
The Lakers lost to the Thunder 139-96 during that April 2 meeting. That was one of three vicious blowouts courtesy of Oklahoma City. On Nov. 12, it was 121-92 in favor of OKC. On April 7, Los Angeles lost 123-87. The only regular season meeting between these two sides that was within single digits came on Feb. 9, with LA still losing 119-110.
Count those results up and that's a 4-0 sweep in the regular season series for the Thunder. The Lakers will be looking to avoid that result in the second round of the playoffs. For their parts, Jake LaRavia told reporters that his team does not care about their competitors being clear favorites.
"I feel like a lot of us on this team have been underdogs just in life, especially in our journey with basketball. So, it's not really something we look at or we really care about. ... You can't come into the game fearing the opponent, you're just going to come in and get punked."
Lakers are choosing to believe in themselves when no one else does
LaRavia added that the Lakers have a ton of respect for the Thunder, and how good they are. However, Los Angeles wants to win games and win the series. None of that can happen if that respect evolves into fear. All that is being said can feel like a given, but it is still important for it to be vocalized.
LaRavia was not the only Lakers personnel to be spreading this type of message. Austin Reaves, JJ Redick, and others all sang a similar tune. They know what they are up against with the Thunder. They understand they are the underdogs. Nothing about that changes their ultimate goal of doing what many will believe to be unthinkable.
With Doncic expected to miss the start of the series against the Thunder, the odds will be stacked even further against the Lakers. There has been some optimism that Luka could play if this series draws out, but not enough to truly bank on.
For the most part, what the Lakers have is what they will need to make do with.
Is the dynamic duo of Reaves and LeBron James, supported by role players, enough to beat a juggernaut like the Thunder? Most people would think not.
In spite of that, it is clear those in the Lakers facility think otherwise. Self-belief is the first step to doing something. It may not seem like much, but it is a start.
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