The Los Angeles Lakers were widely viewed as contenders going into the 2021-22 NBA season. After all, everything seemed perfect for them on paper. They acquired another star for the team in Russell Westbrook, as well as a slew of great veterans, including Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, both of whom are future Hall of Famers. There is no question that their roster is talented.
However, as assistant coach Phil Handy aptly said in the past, “paper doesn’t win championships”, and it’s clear that the Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of work ahead of them before they are that championship squad that they want to be.
The Lakers have blown a 19 point lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are considered to be a rebuilding team. The Thunder were 1-6 going into the contest. The Thunder are now 2-6, and both of their wins have come against the Lakers.
Many fans took this opportunity to roast the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans. While some will point to the absence of LeBron James as the reason they lost, a team with Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook should be able to muster up a win against an inexperienced team such as the Thunder.
The Los Angeles Lakers have now blown a 19-point lead AND a 26-point lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who still have zero wins this season against teams not named the Los Angeles Lakers.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 5, 2021
This loss will put the Los Angeles Lakers at 5-4 for the season, and there’s no question that they must be a better team in the future. Winning easy matchups is important, as regular-season seeding determines home-court advantage for the playoffs.
It remains to be seen how the Los Angeles Lakers will respond to the loss, and hopefully, they are able to bounce back. A lot of contending teams do end up turning it up as the season goes along, and perhaps we’ll see the Lakers do that. As of now though, they simply must improve.
