The Lakers lost for the second consecutive time on the floor of the Nuggets. However, Los Angeles showed a good face overall during the majority of the meeting, but the men of Darvin Ham collapsed during the 4th quarter against the battering of an untenable Jamal Murray.
Now, the LeBron James band finds itself in a very uncomfortable position, where it no longer has the right to make mistakes since no team has won a series after being down 3-0. For Game 3, it is therefore imperative victory, and the series now takes the direction of Los Angeles, for two meetings at the Crypto.com Arena. Good news, just like the Nuggets, the Lakers are undefeated at home since the start of the playoffs with a record of 6 wins and no losses.
If for many, the chances of the Lakers returning to this series are greatly reduced, the players will be able to rely on the support of their public to reverse the situation.
“I had a period when we had a record of 0-5 then 2-10” recalled Darvin Ham, compared to the start of the season. “We’re never as good as they say and we’re never as bad as they say. You just have to take things day by day. Every day, every game is an opportunity to improve. You should never get too fired up when you win, or get too depressed when you lose.”.
The LeBron James factor?
In the history of the NBA, the teams led 0-2 in the conference finals have a record of 6 qualifications for 56 eliminations out of 62 disputed series. Or 9% chance of qualification… But, of the six reversals, two were made by teams led by LeBron James. Indeed, the “King” has twice won a series of conference finals after having a 0-2 deficit. It was against the Pistons in 2007 (4-2) and against the Celtics in 2018 (4-3).
The number 6 of the Lakers therefore knows this type of situation, and knows how to manage them. You have to take it game by game.
“It’s not March Madness. It is the first with four victories. Until a team beats you four times, you still have a chance to get away with it” launched LeBron James. “If we improve between Game 2 and Game 3, then we will put ourselves in a position to win the next game”.
