With 17 games left in the Los Angeles Lakers’ extremely disappointing 2021-22 season, they still have a chance to salvage something, if not make a serious run.
They currently hold the ninth spot in the Western Conference with a 28-37 record, and with the play-in tournament comprising the seventh through 10th-place teams, they have a cushion.
Superstar big man Anthony Davis may be nearing his return from a sprained foot, which will certainly give the team a much-needed shot in the arm.
But it all starts with mindset and attitude, and there is growing evidence, or at least suspicion, that the Lakers’ collective mindset and attitude is very poor.
Via Los Angeles Times:
“Multiple conversations with staff members and players have included the some version of the phrase, “at least there’s only a month left” — not exactly the kind of message you hear from a group with realistic visions of playing until early summer,” wrote Dan Woike.
After the team’s loss to the last-place Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Lakers great James Worthy scorched the squad’s current contingent and said that they simply don’t believe they will win games.
Yes, the Lakers are an old team, especially when it comes to their frontcourt. Yes, they lack depth, especially when it comes to their frontcourt. Yes, Russell Westbrook has been an overall disappointment.
But one thing NBA history has shown is a team can become Cinderella and make an unexpected run for several weeks in the spring.
Look no further than the 2020 Miami Heat, who had the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and weren’t expected to do much in the playoffs.
Instead, they upended the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the second round and took the Lakers to six games in the NBA Finals, gaining tons of respect in the process.
Going way back, the 1999 New York Knicks were the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and even without franchise player Patrick Ewing, they also made a run to the championship series.
The playoffs are all about stars and superstars, and over the past dozen years, it has been LeBron James’ time to shine. With the way he’s been playing this season, he could still be capable of carrying this team further than anyone may realistically expect them to go.
Now is the time for L.A. to adopt a “we’ll shock the world” and “us against the world” attitude. History has shown it can take a team beyond the sum of its parts when it really matters.
If, on the other hand, the Lakers continue to have a defeatist attitude, if they indeed possess such an attitude right now, there may not even be an appearance in the play-in tournament next month.
[mm-video type=video id=01fxts4z3y2w002drxd9 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fxts4z3y2w002drxd9/01fxts4z3y2w002drxd9-b4260f994b1abda655d6a537d7a9a949.jpg]
[listicle id=80111]