With all the adversity the Los Angeles Lakers have dealt with this season, it may be a little hard to remember that they were a great team very recently.
After LeBron James’ disastrous maiden voyage with the Lakers in the 2018-19 season, executive Rob Pelinka made some wholesale changes, trading for superstar big man Anthony Davis and using the team’s limited cap space to assemble a solid supporting cast.
Although many expected a slow start, L.A. blasted off to a 24-3 start, and it did so with its defense and transition game.
Still, after the All-Star break, some weren’t quite convinced that the Lakers were championship material. One weekend in early March gave them the perfect opportunity to prove that they were indeed championship material.
It started on March 6 with a matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks were on their way to amassing the NBA’s best record, while Antetokounmpo was headed towards the Defensive Player of the Year award and his second straight regular season MVP.
In cliched NBA speak, this was a statement game.
It wasn’t the best-played game, but James came out with something to prove. After the Lakers fell behind early, he put his imprint on the game, and with his help, L.A. tied the score at halftime.
From there, the Purple and Gold dominated the first several minutes of the third quarter. Antetokounmpo and crew couldn’t respond, and the Lakers glided to a 113-103 win that started to turn people around the league into serious believers.
With 37 points, eight assists, eight rebounds and three steals, James showed the basketball world that he was still king.
The win would propel his team to its 17th NBA championship and validate his decision to take his talents to Southern California.
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