” 2-10 – 0.3% – Playoffs. Darvin Ham just wrote it in marker on a whiteboard in the Lakers locker room. ” Very soon guys “says the coach, drawing attention to each line. This 2-10 first, for two wins and ten defeats, the balance sheet of his team’s disastrous start to the campaign.
” Some of you haven’t experienced this “, comments the technician, targeting D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Malik Beasley or even Jarred Vanderbilt, all of whom arrived along the way, after a major reshuffle of the workforce carried out during the “trade deadline”. And then there’s that ridiculously small percentage – 0.3% – that at the time represented the Californians’ (estimated) chances of making the playoffs.
A stat from the offices of the local analytics department says Darvin Ham, who speaks minutes after his team beat Wolves in the play-in. A victory synonymous with playoffs So, the last line written by the coach.
This inscription on the board is for him a good way to remind that his training comes from very far away. And that, despite a lot of turmoil and hardship, linked in particular to the health of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, she was able to raise the bar to reach this improbable 7th place.
” We talked about it on Sunday, how crazy it is to start at 2-10 and fight for a place in the playoffs. And now, to qualify in 7th place, it’s incredible. We really think we deserve it, we’re supposed to be here. We work hard and we made the effort to be there. But, yeah, that’s where we started. 2-10 “, repeats Anthony Davis.
His team is only the sixth team in league history to finish with more wins than losses, and qualify for the playoffs, despite starting at 2-10. Only the Bulls (2004-05 and 1976-77), the Nets (2004-05 and 1981-82) and the SuperSonics (1977-78) have done so.
” All we ask for is a chance. Change the course of our season and give us the opportunity to be in the running for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, that’s all we can ask for. », Formula LeBron James.
The second-best team in the league since the All-Star Game behind the Bucks, with a 16-7 record, his Lakers have that claimed opportunity ahead of them. Starting with a first lap, without having the advantage of the field, against Ja Morant and his troops. ” We obviously thwarted the predictions. But we don’t want to stop there “Warns Anthony Davis.
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| lebron james | 55 | 35.5 | 50.0 | 32.1 | 76.8 | 1.2 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 28.9 |
| Anthony Davis | 56 | 34.0 | 56.3 | 25.7 | 78.4 | 3.5 | 9.1 | 12.5 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 25.9 |
| D’angelo Russell | 17 | 30.9 | 48.4 | 41.4 | 73.5 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 17.4 |
| Russell Westbrook | 52 | 28.7 | 41.7 | 29.6 | 65.5 | 1.1 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 15.9 |
| Austin Reaves | 64 | 28.8 | 52.9 | 39.8 | 86.4 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 13.0 |
| Dennis Schroder | 66 | 30.1 | 41.5 | 32.9 | 85.7 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 12.6 |
| Thomas Bryant | 41 | 21.4 | 65.4 | 44.0 | 74.1 | 1.6 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 12.1 |
| lonnie walker | 56 | 23.2 | 44.8 | 36.5 | 85.8 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 11.7 |
| Malik Beasley | 26 | 23.9 | 39.2 | 35.3 | 61.9 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 11.1 |
| Rui Hachimura | 33 | 22.4 | 48.5 | 29.6 | 72.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 9.6 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt | 26 | 24.0 | 52.9 | 30.3 | 78.4 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 6.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 7.2 |
| Troy Brown, Jr. | 76 | 24.5 | 43.0 | 38.1 | 87.2 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 7.1 |
| Kendrick Nunn | 39 | 13.5 | 40.6 | 32.5 | 81.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 6.7 |
| Patrick Beverly | 45 | 26.9 | 40.2 | 34.8 | 78.0 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 6.4 |
| Wenyen Gabriel | 68 | 15.1 | 59.6 | 27.8 | 61.9 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 5.5 |
| matt ryan | 12 | 10.8 | 30.6 | 37.1 | 80.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 3.9 |
| Mohammad Bamba | 9 | 9.8 | 40.7 | 31.3 | 54.5 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 3.7 |
| Max Christie | 41 | 12.5 | 41.5 | 41.9 | 87.5 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 3.1 |
| Juan Toscano Anderson | 30 | 12.2 | 50.0 | 20.0 | 73.3 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 2.7 |
| Damian Jones | 22 | 8.0 | 54.1 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.5 |
| Scotty Pippen, Jr. | 6 | 5.3 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 55.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.3 |
| cole swider | 7 | 5.8 | 33.3 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| davon reed | 8 | 3.4 | 75.0 | 50.0 | 25.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Sterling Brown | 4 | 6.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
