The first time I saw this stretch, this was without question the most pivotal week for the Purple and Gold. Three teams that are above .500 and in playoff contention. Two of them that are among the elite teams in the NBA. The Lakers have had an impressive resurgence after nearly six years of turmoil. But many critics have been skeptical that they could beat some of the better teams in the league. Three marquee games with a playoff berth on the line. It's the LakeShow's time to shine!
03/03: vs. Philadelphia 107-120 [W] (47-13)
Philly fans will have their excuses, pointing to the fact that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons didn't play this game. There shouldn't be any excuses for the Lakers to lose against the 76ers without their top two stars. It certainly almost looked like that with the way this game started. They were losing to an injury-ridden Sixers squad with Shake Milton, Glenn Robinson III, and yes, Furkan Korkmaz of all people as their top players. Even Frank Vogel admitted the team looked sluggish to start that he took a timeout to give the team a pep talk. After that, the Lakers came storming back, especially in that 2nd quarter. I said this before and I'll say this again: Anthony Davis is a man among boys. Yes, no Embiid to matchup against him, but Davis did what he had to do: 37 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and a couple of razzle dazzle highlights that quarter. The gloves came off in that 2nd quarter for the purple and gold. You had AD and KCP throwing it down like it's a dunk contest. You had LeBron shooting from near half court...again and blocking the final shot in the 2nd quarter almost on the opposite end of the court. The Lakers took care of business against the hapless 76ers who have not won on the road for nine straight games. It would've been more impressive if the Sixers had their full roster. But, a W is a W regardless.
03/06: vs. Milwaukee 103-113 [W] (48-13)
Arguably the NBA's heavyweight fight this season. The last time these two teams met, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks creamed the Lakers in "Cream City." With playoff implications on the line, the results should be different. The Lakers won this game despite shooting a woeful 20% from three-point land. The defense and trips to the free throw line is what kept them alive this game. From Avery Bradley drawing offensive fouls to Alex Caruso swiping the ball off of a Bucks' player out of bounds. Despite Giannis' big game of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists, he got shut down with LeBron and AD taking turns defending him. And that's the way it should be: the best players on the team locking down the opposition's best player. The Lakers drew more fouls by attacking the Bucks' interior defense. From the graphics, Lakers had 19 more free throw attempts than the Bucks did
Defensively, the Toronto Raptors formulated the blueprint: you stop Antetokounmpo, the Bucks offense stops flowing. Jeff Van Gundy brought out an interesting point Friday: Giannis is not accustomed to playing extended minutes in the 4th because Milwaukee had games in the bag before that period. But because the Lakers hung close behind big performances by the King and the Brow this game, that kept the Greek Freak on the floor. This was a statement win from the Lakers and LeBron showed people he deserves MVP consideration with 37 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals and shutting down Antetokounmpo in crunch time. AD showed he deserves some Defensive Player of the Year (DOPY) consideration with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks and despite drawing some foul trouble, he played good defense against Giannis down the stretch and came up with a key block on Khris Middleton when the Bucks looked to push. Not only did the Lakers win big, but they clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2013. The last few postseasons were entertaining, but felt weird without the Lakers involved. The Purple (and Gold) rain returns to the the postseason after a 7-year drought!
03/08: @ LA Clippers 112-103 [W] (49-13)
By the end of last year, we had to put up with Clipper fans as they rightfully have bragging rights when the Clippers beat the Lakers not only once, but twice. It was mortifying indeed. To make matters worse, the Clippers marketing department created a marketing campaign to take a shot at the Lakers once more called: "Real LA." This marketing campaign was targeted to have the Clippers be LA's team of not just for the Hollywood celebrities and personalities (like the Lakers), but also the blue collar demographic of LA. I need Nipsey Hussle's "Last Time I Checc'd" right about now. I get it the Clippers have an identity with a roster who have heart, hustle, and grind. But, you're telling me the Lakers don't appeal to the blue collar people LA? Get out of here with that notion! You'll see people in the gritty parts of LA outside of Hollywood sport Laker gear. The Clippers are trying so hard to integrate themselves into the LA culture and identity. It's laughable.
Which comes to my attention, the Lakers need to get this game to slap the Clippers and their fans back to reality. After an impressive win against the best team in the NBA, the Bucks the other night, they need to get one again to put the league on notice. Round 3 for these two teams was as advertised. Both teams were chippy. Although I don't like the fact that the refs didn't call one tech on the Clippers when they were complaining all game long! But Avery Bradley and Danny Green get techs when they barely complain about the refs. Speaking of Avery Bradley, he had himself a big game with 24 points and connecting on 6 three pointers. He was averaging 20+ points for a couple games some time ago, but he hasn't had a lot of touches since then. And it was good to see him do some damage offensively because he was the X-factor and the reason why the Lakers kept hanging around. Kuzma, KCP, and Markieff Morris didn't quite fill up the stats sheet, but boy did they play well defensively. Kuz lead the team with 10 boards and played some really tough defense.
The 2nd half was when the Lakers took complete control of the game. They said LeBron was scared of PG and moreso Kawhi. Despite 7-17 shooting, LeBron James shredded the stifling Clippers defense by attacking and getting to the foul line. And just like when he drew the assignment of defending Giannis Friday, he did so matching up against Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi was held in check for the most part of the game. The 4th quarter, the Lakers drew fouls early on to put themselves in the bonus early. Even though the Clippers took more free throws, they missed some down the stretch, especially when Montrezl Harrell went to the line. He's a handful, but it's a win when he misses some free throws as he's a 65% FT shooter. Anthony Davis lead all scorers with 30 points. AD and LeBron exorcised some demons against the Clippers. You recall the first game when they were held to two points in the 4th quarter. This game, they took over when it mattered the most and helped the Lakers win a pivotal matchup. Forget all the talk that the Lakers can't beat good teams! They proved themselves this weekend. This is playoff mode!
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