There will be a new NBA champion this season because the Lakers are already out. The reasons for failure are complex.
Out in round one: LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
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The Lakers went into the race as favorites for the title again this season. The champion had strengthened himself in a very sensible way in the summer with Dennis Schröder, among others. In addition, superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis have committed themselves to the franchise. But it was to be a season that went completely differently than planned.
Reason 1: The short summer break
No NBA team played basketball longer than the Lakers and Miami Heat last summer. Both teams failed in the first play-off round. On October 12, LA won the finals against the Heat and claimed the trophy. On December 12th James &. Co. embarked on a new season that kicked off with a win over the Clippers. By NBA standards, that’s a very short break. Although things went very well at the beginning, the Lakers gradually slacked off as the season progressed.
Reason 2: The absence of James
However, this was also due to the fact that Los Angeles was hit by bad luck with injuries. With James and Davis, both superstars fell out at times at the same time. As a result, the team of head coach Frank Vogel was passed further and further down the table and ultimately only finished seventh. The “King” was back on board in time for the play-in-game against the Warriors and led his team into the play-offs.
Reason 3: Davis’ injury
There LA met the second from Phoenix in seventh place. The Suns around veteran Chris Paul and sniper Devin Booker played a strong season and therefore rightly finished in second place. Not an easy task for the Lakers, of course. Especially not when one of the superstars gets injured. Davis, who contributed 34 points to wins in games two and three, injured his hip. He left game four prematurely, did not play at all in part five and finally had to leave the field injured again after five minutes in the defeat in game six. The Lakers lost all three games in which the Big Man was not fully operational.
Reason 4: James’ fitness
But Davis’s absence wasn’t the sole reason for the elimination. In addition, James, now 36 years old, could not be at 100 percent after his injury. After Davis’ failure, there was more pressure on the “King’s” shoulders. He has shouldered such pressure countless times in his career – not this time. He’s done his homework with 25, 24 and 29 points in his last three losses, but it wasn’t enough this time and he failed in round one for the first time in his 15 playoff years.
Reason 5: The lack of support
Of course, the Lakers aren’t just made up of the two superstars. But from the rest was nothing to see when it mattered in the past three games. In the loss of game four, the starting five scored a measly 25 points without James, in game five there were only eleven. Dennis Schröder and Kantavious Caldwell-Pope went without a point. At least Schröder with 20 points and Caldwell-Pope with 19 supported last night, but then Marc Gasol, for example, didn’t score a point. There was simply a lack of support for the stars; the players who step in when Davis is out.
Reason 6: Too strong an opponent at the wrong time
Finally, but no less importantly, it must of course be mentioned that the Lakers had a very strong opponent in the Suns – and at the wrong time. Because after the unround main round, LA was not yet ready to beat such a team in a best-of-seven series, especially after Davis’ injury. A functioning team around oldie Paul and an outstanding booker, who shot the Lakers into the summer break with 47 points, ultimately won 4:2 and deservedly so.