After fighting all season long to secure a spot in the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are now dangerously close to missing the play-in.
A loss against the Pelicans on Sunday made the matchup against Dallas a must-win for the Lakers. Unfortunately, without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Purple and Gold were unable to secure a victory (losing 128-110) and have dropped to 11th in the West.
As usual, the NBA world was buzzing with reactions from fans, analysts, and haters as people chewed on the idea of the Lakers not even getting the chance to compete in the play-in.
WTF?????
Where are WE????? pic.twitter.com/6aJBCOxmMk
— DMAN (@DMANMoveover) March 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/jay_pea619/status/1508983617455763458
Pushed them out of the play-in spots like pic.twitter.com/zZtcr7H32A
— Henry-お兄ちゃん🌸 (@HenkukuNii) March 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/ArracetiA/status/1508982645241352193
What being a Lakers fan is this season: #LALvsDAL pic.twitter.com/BQGf0toJ8N
— Hype D. Beast (@HypeDBeast6911) March 30, 2022
Who Lebron is gonna need to call, for the Lakers to make the playoffs pic.twitter.com/AzaTlI8ePB
— UZi (@13Uzi) March 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/BlackCynicalXO/status/1508980615521214464
#LALvsDAL @lakers @JeanieBuss We fuckin suck bro ! pic.twitter.com/1DKBjatJRc
— Ski_Mask_Baby (@BuckMarley8732) March 30, 2022
Like + retweet if you think the Lakers should stop getting broadcasted on national television bc this is unbearable 🤭 #LakeShow #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/IIaTKxZSoj
— 𝙹𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚒 𝚔𝚒 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚒 🥀 (@saymanjagraphy) March 30, 2022
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1508985410965319682
From the very beginning, this season has not gonna according to plan. Russell Westbrook has been a poor fit, LeBron James has been plagued with injuries, and Anthony Davis has hardly seen the floor over the past two years combined.
To make matters worse, nobody on the supporting cast except Carmelo Anthony has shown up to support the big three.
Now, they face the possibility of being denied playoff entry, which has already been tagged as one of the greatest disappointments in NBA history.
“I cannot let the Lakers off the hook,” said Kendrick Perkins. “I will not let the Lakers off the hook. And I know I been telling y’all I’m tired of talking about them, and I really am, but the fact of the matter is this – if the Lakers, forget the title, forget the title run, being the title contender, forget making noise in the playoffs – if the Lakers miss the playoffs, which they have a strong possibility of doing, they could be one of the biggest disappointments in NBA history. Period. It’s no way around it.”
There is still some hope for the Lakeshow. While they currently sit outside the play-in line, winning a few more games to close out the season might be all they need to re-take their spot.
If they pull it off, and Anthony Davis comes back healthy, the Purple and Gold could surprise a lot of people.
For now, though, that remains a pipe dream, and the Lakers still face overwhelming odds.
