The Los Angeles Lakers have displayed another strong performance in the conference series semi-finals. The purple and gold secured a 104-101 win in the second home game of the series. With already one game advantage at hand, they are only one game away from the Western Conference finals. It is incredible how the whole team has transformed. Instead of depending on individual performance, the players are giving an all-rounder performance. It seems like the team’s win does not just lie in the hands of the two superstars anymore.
But big games sometimes spark controversy as all the players ride high on emotions and low on temperaments. This spark can sometimes lead to a fight or disagreement between the players and the coach. These moments then become the highlight of the games because people enjoy such highlights from a high stake game. There was one such drama on Monday where it looked like Anthony Davis and Coach Darvin Ham did not have the same opinion on a point. Keep reading to know the full story about the same.
Anthony Davis Unhappy With Ham’s Decision
Anthony Davis and Darvin Ham appeared to be arguing as AD checks out of the game. pic.twitter.com/9u9zFQQ8VA
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 9, 2023
The 38-year-old is a crucial part of the Lakers team, which makes his presence more important for the team. But Coach Ham had other plans not discussed in the background before entering the game. The TNT camera caught the two discussing on the sidelines while the team waited for the free throws. And the discussion soon got heated as Anthony Davis was seen throwing his arms around while talking to his coach. This resulted in Ham asking the Lakers’ star player to sit on the bench for a while. And like every other star player, he would not have liked it as he was doing fairly well in the game.
Before Davis was pulled out due to unrevealed reasons, he already had 6 points and three rebounds in his name. Considering the performance, it isn’t clear why the head coach would want him out. But he did pull the former champion off for a substitute player Wenyen Gabriel. But it wasn’t long before Davis returned to the court in the second quarter of the game. However similar fate followed him as the rookie coach called him back again before halftime.
The incident caused a lot of confusion among the fans, and they took to social media to show their dislike of Coach’s gesture. A fan even asked the team to replace Coach Ham soon. However, this is not the first time that the rookie head coach has had such quarrels with the players.
The Lakers Doing Well Under Coach Darvin Ham’s Reign
The purple and gold have enjoyed their spell under the first-time head coach Darvin Ham. However, yesterday’s incident was something that caught a lot of attention. But despite such mishaps, the head coach has not failed to deliver results for the team. His defensive tactics have all kept the Warriors quiet until now.
The Lakers are now only one win away from the Western Conference final in the NBA. If LA can finish the Warriors in the next game, they can brush up the series in the next round. And for the Warriors to advance to the finals, they must win all the series games, which sounds next to impossible.
