Coach Darvin Ham has seen a lot of ups and down with the Los Angeles Lakers squad this season. It started changing for the better when the February trades kicked in. A lot of quality players came in to fill the gaps on the roster that was causing the failures of the Purple and gold army. Nobody can feel the difference more than the coach Ham. Even he knows that it was impossible for a while to think about making the postseason. The Lakers started so bad. They lost 10 out of the first 12 games. That did not provide the team a cushion to climb up on the table.
However, it is a miracle that the Lakers finished 7th in the Western Conference. But at present, the team is really doing well. They reached the playoffs via a play-in match win against the Timberwolves. Now the Lakers lead the round 1 playoff series against the Grizzlies 3-1. Memphis Grizzlies had the upper hand before the series started, as they are the second seed of the Western Conference. However, it seems the Lakers had a different plan. They crushed the Grizzlies in their home in Memphis in the first game. After the Game 4, the Lakers enjoyed a healthy lead. They win the next game, and they win the 7-game series.
Darvin Ham Praises D’Lo For Rescuing The Lakers In The Fourth Quarter
Coach Ham has been proud of the whole team, especially Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell. In Game 4 D’Lo was just unbelievably good. Albeit, it was LeBron James who rescued the team with a stellar clutch moment. The Lakers and Grizzlies had an exciting encounter when the momentum was shifting frequently to either side in Game 4. But Russell showed his class with consecutive three 3-pointers.
That brought the Lakers back to the game. Darvin Ham mentioned, “D’Lo put the team on his back in the fourth quarter with a stunning show.” Darvin Ham said that the Lakers were almost losing their grip on the game when D’Lo rescued the team. The head coach said if Russell did not play the way he did, then there was no chance for the Lakers to come back to the game. D’Lo came as a savior in the fourth quarter with those three-pointers.
Coach Hopes Russell Can Hold Onto The Same Attack Mode
Darvin Ham praises the confidence of D’Angelo Russell, mentioning that he always jokes around, saying, “I can miss five consecutively, but I can turn things around too after I score ten in a row.” The coach said that he was thinking about those jokes Russell generally cracks when he was actually knocking the Grizzlies down.
Darvin Ham mentions that the team needs Russell to always be in that attack mode or switch it on when the situation will demand again, as he did last night. Other than Anthony Davis and LeBron James, these two players – Hachimura and D’Lo have really impressed every Lakers fan with their performance in the playoffs. However, the whole team had been displaying their best to get a healthy 3-1 lead over the second-seeded Grizzlies in the round 1 of the playoffs.