After putting on a show in the final game of the regular season, LeBron James gave his final thoughts in the past 82 games. According to the King, he feels better about where they stand right now than he did going into last year’s playoffs — right before their run to the Western Conference Finals.
“Better than I did at the end of the season last year going into the postseason,” said James.
The Lakers wanted to avoid the play-in tournament and their chances would have been much better had they been able to sneak into the top six. But after that dream died last week, the Lakers had no choice but to accept their fate and prepare for whatever matchup might be in store for them.
And while it hasn’t been a perfect campaign for the Lakers, they weren’t too far from a 50-win season, and they play like a squad that has experience, talent, and confidence in their capabilities. With Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and others, LeBron has a lot to work with this post-season and he seems optimistic about the Lakers’ chances as presently constructed.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, even if they do win the play-in, they’ll be set for a matchup against the Denver Nuggets, who are the defending champs and, arguably, the best team in the league right now. Nobody is going to pick them in that series but the Purple And Gold still have a chance if LeBron and Davis can stay healthy for a little while longer.
What Happened To LeBron Amd The Lakers Last Season?
While this year’s situation is far from ideal for the Lakers, LeBron wasn’t kidding when he spoke on his uncertainty entering last year’s playoffs.
At the time, the Lakers were still fresh off the heels of a series of trades that completely overhauled the roster. Gone was Russell Westbrook and in came valuable role-players like D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Rui Hachimura. The Lakers caught fire down the stretch of the season to finish 7th in the West and they looked prime to pull off an upset.
But even in this state, LeBron (and others) had their doubts that it would be enough. With less than half a season to adjust to the new roster, the feeling was that the Lakers needed more time to mesh before they could make a deep run. While they did go on to beat the Grizzlies and Warriors, the doubts were validated when they faced the Nuggets and got swept in round three.
The Lakers are hoping for a better ending in this campaign but facing the Nuggets earlier could just mean an extra early exit for the Purple and Gold.