Whether the Lakers lose or win, LeBron James always appears in front of the press. Often accompanied by Anthony Davis. But after last night's defeat against the Heat, the 8th in ten matches, LeBron skipped the press briefing. The Lakers gave no explanation, and even if the four-time MVP undoubtedly had very good reasons, his absence appears as a symbol at a time when the Lakers are going through their first crisis of the season. Victory in the NBA tournament already seems very, very far away…
“If we play like we did tonight, things are going to get bad for us.” summarizes Anthony Davis, the only Laker to play at his true level this night. Still, the Lakers were excited to play in Los Angeles 11 of their next 12 games. Starting 2024 in front of your home crowd, facing the NBA finalist, there is reason to be motivated.
But like a very clumsy LeBron James, the Lakers foiled. From beginning to end. “They made it seem like they weren’t there mentally. It was ugly and unacceptable” says James Worthy, former Lakers legend, now a TV consultant.
Absences are not excuses
In defense of the Lakers, two major players were missing: Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell. But Austin Reaves doesn't want to hear about it! “We can’t use that as an excuse! We have enough talent to win matches. You just have to find how. »
Same speech from Davis: “We were overwhelmed tonight. There's a bit of everything right now and if we continue on this path it won't be good for us. It is obvious that we must find a solution as soon as possible. The fact that players are absent is not an excuse. We have no excuses.”
For Darvin Ham, the answer lies in attitude. ” We have to fight. When things don't go the way you want, you can't curl up in a corner and cry about your fate,” recalls the Lakers coach. “You have to mobilize and try to see how you can best help your team succeed.”
Anthony Davis is disappointed
We don't know who these comments are targeting, but Anthony Davis knows what went wrong last night. “We lost 10 balls in the first quarter. We don't pay attention to details.” he analyzes in the locker room. “Against a team that plays so hard, we can't get away with it if we don't make our shots. For me, the biggest problem is on defense. We don't pay attention to details, and our level is not high enough to win matches. »
However, we will have to roll up our sleeves because the team is 10th in the West this Thursday with a negative record (17v-18d). Friday, the Grizzlies arrive, and they have nothing left to lose in trying to save their season.
