After what could rightly be called a catastrophic start to their campaign, the Los Angeles Lakers finally made the NBA 2022-23 playoffs.
And according to LA Times’ Dan Woike, the journey to the playoffs was more than just luck that the team had in patches. It was also a test of resilience, which they passed.
“They were nimble. They were resilient. And, if we’re being honest, they were more than a little lucky,” Woike wrote.
He also added that the Lakers were focused on the larger picture and didn’t let distractions or injuries get in their way. “Somehow, the Lakers navigated the near-impossible journey to make the playoffs,” he opined.
“They survived the miserable first dozen games. They dealt with injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They avoided letting the circus around James’ chase of the NBA scoring record distract them from their goal.”
Woike’s statement makes complete sense. Looking back at their torrid 0-5 start where the Lakers looked all at sea, they have come a long way. They cleaned up their mess, held their own, and more importantly, weathered a rough injury storm.
Note that the Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis played only 55 and 56 games respectively this season. While their impact in all of their appearances played a part in LA’s run, the rest of the team stayed accountable and chipping in counts, even those of former Laker Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers collectively played 83 games, a number that would have stretched to 84 had they blown the play-in against the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves. But, again, in the words of Woike, their resilience saw them edge the Wolves out in overtime and book a first-round playoff date with the Memphis Grizzles.
The Lakers Whiteboard Spoke Volumes About Their Playoff Run
The Lakers whiteboard told the team’s complete regular season story. After their win against the Wolves, NBA insider Dave McMenamin took to Twitter to post a picture of the team’s board.
The Lakers were already written off when they had a sorry 2-10 record after their first 12 games of the season, and the stats and numbers that were crunched gave them a 0.3% chance of making the playoffs.
And maybe that was the motivation they needed as they clawed back to postseason contention to finish the seventh seed. That said, the Purple and Gold’s job isn’t finished, and they will still have to get past the formidable Grizzlies to make the next round.
With the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings being some of the challenges they will probably encounter, the road to the NBA Finals isn’t surely going to be an easy one.
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