Lakers' Title Run Was Anything But Predictable
Lakers fans' emotions swing from exuberance to rage, often in consecutive tweets. They crow when the team succeeds—as L.A. did on Tuesday, claiming a 102-96 win over Miami in Game 4 of the NBA Finals—and then proceed to hunt down anyone who was skeptical that they would.
The Lakers are one win away from a 17th championship and everyone east of Riverside wants you to know that you should have seen this coming. LeBron James led all scorers with 28 points, chipping in his usual 12 rebounds and eight assists. Hours before the game, James fired off a short text message to his teammates: Must win, part of the message said. And the Lakers, two days after an ugly Game 3 loss, responded.
“I felt like for me personally,” James said, “this was one of the biggest games of my career.”
Said Anthony Davis, “We see the message from our leader … guys knew coming in that we need to bring our A Game.”
James can secure his fourth championship on Friday and in L.A., this has been deemed predictable. Never mind that, at 35, James was coming off a sluggish, injury plagued ’18-19 season that saw James play the fewest games (55) of his career. Forget that the Lakers, the roster gutted after the acquisition of Davis, had to fill it out late in free agency with what amounted to NBA leftovers. Or that the coach, Frank Vogel, was at best the front office’s third choice.
This level of success was anything but predictable. Perhaps the playoffs were a lock. Some (cough, cough) foolishly wondered in September if they would get there. But if you really believed the Lakers would be one win away from a (virtual) parade, let’s see the (betting) receipts.
Did you really believe James had this kind of season in him? James fueled himself early, inventing the narrative that he was perceived as washed up, tagging social media posts with #WashedKing. He revived himself defensively. He wasn’t the MVP—Giannis Antetokounmpo, under the current description of the award, deserved to win in a landslide—but this was arguably James’s most impressive season.
James made forging chemistry a priority. In an interview with ESPN, Rajon Rondo said he would talk to James about his body language last season. This season there have been no such conversations necessary. James’s chemistry with Davis was immediate. He told Davis he wanted to get Davis his first ring. Davis told James he wanted to get him back to the Finals. Off the court, the two, already friendly, became airtight, with James liking it to the movie Step Brothers.
"We're not jealous of each other,” James said “I think that's the best thing.”
Did you really believe in Vogel? Were you thrilled when the wide-eyed, ex-Rick Pitino protégé fresh off getting fired in Orlando was named Lakers coach? You should have been. Vogel didn’t have the sizzle of Ty Lue or the name recognition of Monty Williams, two coaches the Lakers courted before hiring him. But he’s smart, steady handed and far more resembled the coach who led Indiana to back-to-back conference finals than the one who steered a Magic team in transition. Vogel’s even-keeled approach has been an asset to the Lakers, as has his early commitment to evolving L.A. into one of the most physical teams in the NBA.
Did you really believe in the supporting cast? In Rajon Rondo, after Rondo’s 46-game participation in last season’s mess? Playoff Rondo has been brilliant this postseason. His first bubble action didn’t come until the conference semifinals. He has been racking up big minutes ever since. But what about back in February, when the Lakers were publicly courting Darren Collison and Rondo’s plus/minus was under a microscope? In Game 4, Rondo struggled with his shot (1-7) but his floor generalship, Vogel said, was invaluable.
“Rajon is a huge part of what we do,” Vogel said. “I have a tremendous amount of trust in his abilities, especially in this atmosphere, this deep into the playoffs when the games mean so much. He's been there before and I trust him.”
Did you really believe in Dwight Howard, when the Lakers inked the well-traveled Howard to a one-year deal. In Kyle Kuzma, whose pre-pandemic shooting woes were well chronicled? In Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a star in Game 4, whose only playoff experience coming into this season totaled four games with Detroit? In Alex Caruso? Danny Green is the supporting casts most accomplished postseason performer, at least recently, and his playoffs have been uneven, at best.
No, this Lakers championship will be significant because it was so unpredictable. The 2016 title will stand alone as James’s crowning achievement. Nothing can compare to bringing a championship to Cleveland, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to the best regular season team in NBA history to do it.
But this one might rank right behind it. Bigger than the two titles in Miami, when James led a super team that was expected to win. The road to this championship has not been the roughest, but that’s on the Clippers for blowing a 3-1 lead to Denver, and the Bucks for failing to show up against the Heat. The Lakers can only play who is put in front of them, and they have been wiping the floor with everyone that has.
So get ready to celebrate, Lakers fans. The Larry O’Brien trophy is likely coming back to Los Angeles. James’s argument to be called the greatest player in NBA history is about to get a little stronger. It’s an incredible accomplishment. Just, please—don’t act like you saw it coming.
