As it stands, despite being down 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals after Saturday’s 119-108 loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a pretty good season.
Last season, after poor roster construction, a lack of depth, injuries and old age cost them a trip to the postseason, things looked hopeless. In the first half of this season, after starting 2-10 and being able to get to .500, things still looked bleak.
Then came a slew of midseason trades that netted Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba. Suddenly, L.A. was born again, and it looked like it had at least a puncher’s chance of reaching the NBA Finals in a wide-open West.
But the Nuggets have made it clear that the team simply isn’t there yet.
The Lakers haven’t been able to stop the bleeding when Denver has gone on big runs. It went on a 13-0 run to take control of the fourth quarter of Game 3, and it was a 15-1 spurt that turned Game 2 upside down.
The reality is clear now: It simply wasn’t meant to be this season for the Lakers.