A look at five draft decisions the Lakers likely wish they could’ve taken back.
Throughout the history of the Los Angeles Lakers, there have been some glorious moments on draft day that served as a prelude to some of the franchise’s biggest accomplishments, not to mention some of their 17 NBA championships.
There was the drafting of Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, the two legends who put pro basketball on the map in the Southland during the 1960s.
The year 1979 brought the selection of one Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and three years later, the team had the good fortune of taking James Worthy with the top pick, just weeks after winning the world championship.
But the Lakers have also certainly had their fair share of draft blunders.
On May 11, 2007, the NBA arena in Oakland became known as ‘Baron’s house.’
Over the past seven seasons, the Golden State Warriors have built up a steady library of thrilling playoff moments. From Stephen Curry’s long-range jumpers, Draymond Green’s defensive stops and Kevin Durant’s game-sealing daggers, Warriors fans have been spoiled when the calendar turns to May.
However, in the 2020 edition of the playoff dance, the Warriors will be on the outside looking in. A 15-50 record with 17 games remaining has already sealed Golden State’s playoff hopes.
With no playoff hoops on the radar, Warriors Wire is digging back into Golden State’s postseason history for games worthy of a rewatch.
While performances from the Curry and Steve Kerr era Warriors standout, one postseason moment from 2007 will forever hold a special place in Golden State lore.
May 11, 2007
After blitzing past the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the opening series of the playoffs, the darling “We Believe” Warriors faced off against the Utah Jazz in the second round.
Golden State’s magic looked to be running on empty after two straight losses in Utah to open the series. Yet, a trip back to the Bay Area provided a spark for the underdogs.
The Warriors jumped out to a lead in the first quarter and never looked back, controlling the Jazz from start to finish. While the Warriors were up 20 in the fourth period, there were still fireworks left in Oracle Arena.
With just under three minutes remaining in the game, Baron Davis blasted past Deron Williams forcing a matchup at the rim with one of the NBA’s feared shot blockers, Andrei Kirilenko.
Davis proceeded to throw down an emphatic tomahawk slam dunk right over the top of Kirilenko to set the entire state of Bay Area basketball into a ringing frenzy.
The Jazz quickly called a timeout leading to a famous call from ESPN play-by-play voice Mike Tirico — “timeout in Baron’s house.”
Watch the Davis dunk with Tirico’s call via YouTube:
The Warriors earned their first victory of the series that night, 125-105. Davis tallied a game-high 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting with nine assists, six steals and three rebounds. Six different members of the Warriors recorded double-figure scoring numbers against the Jazz in game three.
Despite the Warriors later getting eliminated by the Jazz in game five, Davis’ dunk over Kirilenko is near the top of almost every list in Golden State playoff memories.
