The Los Angeles Lakers are on to a robust start to their playoffs with their play-in tournament wins. And it all came to life when the front office finally decided to make the necessary changes during the trade deadline. If the administration had not done it, then the team would have been knocked out before ever having a shot at playoffs. But now it does, and Anthony Davis nearly compromised this chance with 1.4 seconds left in the Minnesota Timberwolves game.
It is clearly visible that the Lakers are a team oozing with talent and the potential to lift the title this year. However, if they do not take things seriously, they can lose all their hard work in an instant. And to avoid that, they will have to be calmer with their on-court activity when they don’t have the ball. Otherwise, the incident that happened on Tuesday could happen again, but this time, the odds could turn against their team. So, Darvin Ham needs to take some actions to ensure some discipline in the players, especially Anthony Davis.
What Actually Happened In The Timberwolves Game?
LeBron: "It's unfortunate that AD had a brain fart and messed his game-winner up."
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 12, 2023
AD: "I messed his game-winner up I apologize. I definitely apologize." 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/khlMaLr5Rx
The 2020 champions were trailing behind in halftime with 15 points. It lit a fire under LeBron James, who picked up the responsibility of scoring on his shoulders. As they came closer to the end of the game, the Lakers took the lead to head into the playoffs. With only a minute or so left on the clock, LeBron passed the ball to Dennis Schroder. The 28-year-old three a perfect three-pointer from the left-hand side to seal the win with 98-95 on the board. However, Anthony Davis fouled Mike Colney in a very unnecessary manner awarding him three free throws with 1.4 seconds left.
Unfortunately, the forward made all the free throws, and the game went ahead into overtime time. Fortunately, the Lakers won the competition with a 102-108 final score, but the team could have faced worse. It was all a mistake of one individual that caused the whole team to see the setback. However, the 2020 champ then later apologized for his behavior when LeBron, Dennis, and Anthony were having fun after the game.
Anthony Davis Could Have Been An MVP
The 29-year-old has been a beast throughout this year. Whenever he is healthy, he has been on full throttle for his team. Even when he is not at his maximum, he still proves to be a great presence on the court. And Kevin Garnett believes that if the Lakers had begun their year with AD’s dominance, he would have been the MVP.
There is no one who could debate AD’s skills and sheer determination. But the eight-time All-star needs to be more consistent to come in the MVP conversations. And this year does not seem to be his year in terms of being most valuable.
