It’s probably something Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss don’t want to hear, but the reality is that the Lakers disappointed and had every expectation of advancing to the next round, but were crushed by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers, with 50 wins and the third seed in the West, experienced a rebirth led by LeBron and the arrival of Luka Doncic following the trade for Anthony Davis, which renewed their title aspirations, but it wasn’t enough.
Doncic delivered in a way, and while there are mixed reactions, mostly due to his size, he did his job on the court. Now he has to prepare better for next season, which will be quite interesting as his future is still unknown at this point.
For his part, LeBron James seems to have figured out what happened to the Lakers in the playoffs, as they were beaten badly and didn’t even put up a fight, something that surprised many experts as they were considered contenders for the championship.
‘King’ James has the answers
In a rather entertaining chat on ‘Mind The Game‘, LeBron James and Steve Nash had no problem explaining what happened in this unprecedented loss to the Timberwolves.
LeBron‘s answer will surprise you because it was simple and short: “We were confident.”
That wasn’t all, as he went on to explain his reasoning.
“In my case, I’ve definitely learned over the years that teams win championships. Teams always win championships. Yeah, individual players get a lot of credit. The team, you know, wins championships. You have your big players that make big plays at the end of games, throughout the game. Whatever it is. But at the end of the day, teams win championships.”
“The other guys are playing too”
In an attempt to ease the pressure and criticism, LeBron James also mentioned that there was a dependence on Luka Doncic that wasn’t helping at all.
“And I understand it’s never about Luka or me. It was never about Anthony or Julius Randle. It was always Minnesota versus the Lakers. And I get that. And I’m at a point in my career where I don’t care how Luka and I lost. There are eight other guys on the court,”James said.
The data backs him up: Doncic and LeBron have contributed about 40 percent of the Lakers’ points, underscoring their impact but also suggesting that the rest of the team needs to take a more prominent role in the collective effort.
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