The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off an ‘upset’ against the Memphis Grizzlies and advanced to the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Purple and Gold played great basketball and now wait for the winner between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
Following a huge win against the always-dangerous Grizzlies, Darvin Ham opened up on what’s next for his team. The head coach issued a warning to his team and the rest of the league, as this is only the tip of the iceberg (2:52 mark).
“This thing is just getting started,’’ he said. “We passed level one. Now we gotta start shifting our focus to whoever comes outta that game on Sunday.”
Ham touched on the most important thing for the Lakers moving forward, making it clear that their defense will be crucial if they want to win more games.
“I told them after the game we set a standard for ourselves defensively, on how we have to play and what we have to do on the defensive side of the ball,’’ he said. “… We’re going to find ways to score. But the thing we have to hang our hat on is defense.”
The Lakers have focused on their defense all season long, something crucial to win in today’s NBA. If their fans want to dream, that’s the same approach they had in 2020, as Frank Vogel focused on the defense, ultimately taking them to win the NBA championship in the bubble.
They’re not as favorites this season, but the Purple and Gold have found a way to be competitive again, and the turnaround has been nothing but remarkable. They went at it against a younger team that tried to fight, but the Lakers were too much to bear.
Los Angeles Lakers Can Go All The Way To The Finals This Season
After making Ja Morant regret saying what he said a couple of months ago about the Western Conference and nullifying Dillon Brooks during the entire series, the Lakers are ready to take on another challenge.
Their next rival will come out of the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors. Either team will present a big challenge for the Lakers, as the Kings are hungry to relive old moments and take revenge for that infamous 2002 Western Conference Finals.
The Warriors are ready to defend their throne, and they will bring the fire to the Lakers. As Ham stated, this just got started, but the Lakers aren’t ducking any smoke.
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