The Los Angeles Lakers are experiencing a little whiplash right now. The ecstasy of acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks gave way to skepticism that the All-NBA guard would be able to mesh with incumbent superstar LeBron James; those fears dissipated amid a winning streak that pushed the Lakers into the conversation for the #2 seed in their conference.
But with James now on the shelf due to a groin strain, Lakerland is on edge after the team suffered consecutive losses to the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. Doncic and guard Austin Reaves are confident Los Angeles will get back on the winning path despite James’ absence, but the injury threatens to halt one of the greatest streaks in league — and sports — history.
James’ All-NBA run in jeopardy?
James has played in 58 of the Lakers’ 63 games this season; the cut-off for All-NBA and awards eligibility is 65 games. This means that, depending on how long James’ groin keeps him sidelined, he may miss out on All-NBA selection for the first time since 2003/04 — his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In his decorated career, James, 40, has been named to the All-NBA first team on 13 occasions, the second team in three seasons, and the third team in a further four campaigns. It is the longest such streak in NBA history — and basketball’s first-ever 50,000-point scorer is merely seven games from continuing it. However, with the Lakers holding championship aspirations, “The King” may feel that rest and recuperation are more important than forcing his way onto one more All-NBA team.
In the meantime, for however long James is out, the Lakers will continue to rely on team defense as the games take on more of a playoff vibe. During their recent eight-game winning streak, Los Angeles held seven opponents to under 110 points — only two teams scored more than 102 points during that stretch. James recently commented that the Lakers’ defense has vastly improved of late — and after consecutive losses, Los Angeles has to turn up the pressure in order to achieve its ambition of finishing the regular season with the second-best record in the intense Western Conference.
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