The Los Angeles Lakers bid farewell to the Staples Center last night, albeit in a disappointing fashion. In their last game in the arena before the name change, the Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs in a blowout. It was a bitter pill to follow for Lakers fans, but it isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
In fact, before the Los Angeles Lakers played at the Staples Center, they used to play at the iconic LA Forum. And their last game at the historic building ended in the exact same way; a bitter loss to the San Antonio Spurs on their final night. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to Tim Duncan and the Spurs, who went on to win the NBA championship that season.
Last basketball team to win at the Forum: San Antonio Spurs
Last basketball team to win at the Staples Center: San Antonio Spurs
Lakers in complete disarray, love to see it. pic.twitter.com/JlJ7OTgKKE
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) December 24, 2021
Obviously, the circumstances were quite different at that time. The Lakers were still not the championship team they would become next season under Phil Jackson. And while Kobe and Shaq had become All-Stars by then, they didn’t have enough firepower to stop the Spurs, who were a championship contender with Tim Duncan and David Robinson leading the charge.
The Spurs managed to spoil an emotional night for the Los Angeles Lakers once again. But this defeat might actually be worse. Unlike 1999, the Spurs are far from a championship-level team. In fact, they are one of the youngest teams in the NBA right now, and far away from contending for a championship as things stand.
Whereas, the Lakers were expected to be championship contenders this season. But they have failed to live up to that billing, and have been very disappointing, especially over the last 4 games.
LeBron James addressed their situation right now, saying that the team lacks chemistry because they have not played together enough. But given their ambition is to win an NBA championship this season, they will have to correct their ways as soon as they can.
