The Los Angeles Lakers are finally knocked out of the Western Conference finals by Denver Nuggets. The purple and gold lost the decisive Game 4 by 111-113 and faced a humiliating 0-4 defeat. With that, Hollywood’s 2022-23 season campaign came to an end. Clearly, the season was filled with lots of ups and downs, majorly downs. But the team managed to stick together to ensure a deep postseason run.
While some may argue that the Lakers failed as a team this season, it’s not entirely true. Yes, the team got swept 0-4, and it was embarrassing for a Lakers fan to watch his team go down without a significant fight. However, this set of four games can certainly not overshadow or discredit the months-long hard work of the entire team. It might be an unpopular or rather bold opinion. But the fact is that the Lakers’ current season was ultimately a huge success.
Lakers Will Go Down As A Successful Team Of The 2022-23 Season Despite Missing Out On The Finals
The Los Angeles Lakers 2022-23 season began on a horrific note. They had an initial record of 2-10, which dropped their playoff qualification chances to 0.3%. On top of that, the team’s newest acquisition, Russell Westbrook, became a liability as his playing style did not match that of the Lakers. The dynamic duo, LeBron James and Antony Davis, took the blame for the trade and faced severe backlash. However, they did not give up. The duo convinced their general manager, Rob Pelinka, to turn the season around. Rob, on his part, made a life-changing decision. He and the entire Hollywood administration decided to overhaul the roster during the trade deadline. As a result, many critics questioned the move and believed the comeback was nearly impossible as the team lingered 13th on the West table.
However, Rob Pelinka handed over D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and a few others to the James-Davis duo, hoping for the best. There was nothing the Lakers had to lose, which transformed them into the most dangerous team in the West. Davis and LeBron consistently battled through injuries. During their absence, the team’s newest acquisitions held the fort and managed to put up convincing and crucial victories. That gave the purple and gold a ray of hope. From then, the team never looked back and climbed all the way through to the top. They defeated every big team who came on their path. Hence, if you look back at the Laker’s trajectory, it’s safe to say they had a successful run. A few mistakes in the conference finals cannot discredit their hard work over the course of six months. Let’s hope the team manages to fix the existing issues in the off-season and come back stronger than ever next year.
LeBron James To Rethink On His Future In NBA
NBA’s longest-running player, LeBron James, has hinted at retirement in a post-game presser after getting crashed out in the Western Conference finals. James said he personally needs to do a lot of rethinking and will reassess what his future in the sport looks like. James is 38 and has been in the league for the past two decades. Also, injuries have been nagging him for the past couple of seasons. And with the younger generation coming in, the veteran may not be able to fit in next year.
However, LeBron James earlier conveyed the desire the play side by side with his eldest son, Bronny James. Bronny is 18 and eligible to play in the league. However, it still could be a little while before he lands a contract. Hence, if James still wants to fulfill his last dream, that would require him to stay in the contest for at least a couple of more years.
