Optimism Discussion: The Laker's Sky Is Not Falling

I thought the adjustments Kerr made to get AD out of the paint were smart. We won.
I thought GSW got way too many easy paint points; guys on our defense didn't adjust. We won.
When Curry led them to a 12 point lead and Wiggins hit that shot with 5:43 left in the 3rd to put them up 12, I thought they'd run away with it. They didn't. We won.
When GSW brilliantly denied AD getting the ball at the post in the 2nd half, I thought we'd lose. We won.
Curry had his Game 7 in SAC face on: triple-double with a lot of time left. We've seen him put his team on his back and lead them to win, and I thought he'd do it again.

We won.

I didn't see LWIV coming up like that and I think you're lying if you said you did see it. Man, oh man what a 4th Q. Massive stones.

 

Dayenu.

 

That caught me off-guard, mate. Indeed, dayenu.

 

We have the confirmation something is wrong with the rims in this arena , even Steph and Klay have been bricking more often than not in Staples .

Stop blaming the Lakers shooters

 

does this guy get a pass too?

 

I still don't know how we got this much talent at the trade deadline.

 

It's really not even the same team. The first part of the year was mostly unwatchable.

Props to Kurt and friends for making the right moves. They are legitimately making noise as a barely qualifying playoff participant.

 

No. Lebron and AD not playing together, was the HUGE part of the terrible disaster, that was the first 50 games, and that's not to be overlooked. Winning brings joy..Hello

They were here in training camp too. Lebron and AD have played 19 straight games together. That's the most consecutive games they've played together since the bubble. That means a lot to me. Westbrook only played 22 games with those two, in both seasons he was here.

I remain on the it's Lebron and AD first mantra. Hell..I said top 3 in the West. Meant that s*** too, would have been tops in the West, if my big two played more games together in the first 50.

I love Rui and Vanderbilt tho..5 wins to the Finals!!

 

I got flack earlier in the year when I said I really liked this team sans Westbrook because they never give up. They may play badly, get injuries, but they fought to overcome over all of those difficulties. How come no one talks in the national media for example never mentions that both AD and Lebron reportedly passed up surgery to compete. Yeah, it was frustrating when they would fall short on a comeback for example, or all those critical end of games but for a guy who is skeptical of "character" arguments, this team really has good character.

Another way to look at this, they've been in a must-win game for months now - that is not easy to do night in and night out. A lot of physical and mental energy to keep it going

 

we won without lebron for the latter part of the year. the team no longer looks like it's at a funeral at all times. i'm not even sure why you're still trying to argue this. russ was an absolute cancer here. period. anchor on and off the court. bev was just an anchor on the court, i think. it's night and day without them.

hell, beasley's better than them because we're at least allowed not to play him without having to deal with a pout festival and the ensuing media coverage.

 

After the trade, LeBron did not play in 14 games. Terrible disaster, right? Well, without the baggage of Russ, the Lakers went 9-5. Your narrative is wrong.

 

We doin' this again?

 

No.That's not the whole story..AD got right, and ascended back to elite player status without Lebron too, and he has played in 46 out of the last 48 games, that hasn't happened since the bubble either. This is not to be minimized. The team is winning, I don't remember any funerals after wins before the Russ trade. Westbrook was not some absolute cancer on and off the court, that take remains some BS to me. Not a single player on this team, has ever implied such nonsense either. Reaves, Walker, Troy, Dennis, Wenyen, Rui, AD...nobody is cosigning that crap man. All have spoken otherwise actually. I still say that Russ helped instill a lot of confidence in these young guys, that we are reaping the benefits of right now.

That being said, I still love this team, and we are 5 wins from the Finals. I remain steadfast though, that if Lebron and AD had been right, we would have been title contenders in every season since the bubble. The main thing is still the main thing to me. My best two players deserve the Lion's share of the credit when it's going well, and the the same when it doesn't.

 

Anthony Davis reclaimed his spot as legit franchise player in those 14 games without Lebron. That part isn't to be overlooked.

 

Sick. Defense wins championships

 

AD was also playing like that in his first 25 games this season before getting injured. The Lakers went 11-14 in those games. Even with LeBron playing in most of them also. The difference between the 9-5 post trade and the 11-14 in the first part of the season wasn't AD - it was having Russ vs getting rid of Russ and getting the new guys. Your narrative is wrong, and you keep on making up new reasons that are factually wrong.

 

that will rip them all new but holes. Then it becomes, so what, our worst team in the Lebron era and you still couldn't beat us!! Bubble wrap that one A holes!

 

Definitely get higher than lower. But, even then, I try not to gloat to my non Lakers acquaintances.

There is a girl who works at my local Ralphs, where I buy much of my food, who is a Warriors fan. She hates everything about the Lakers, she absolutely gloats like mad to me. But when it is the other way around, she avoids me. I hate those kinds of fans, so I don't like to do that to others because it sucks. I keep telling her she needs to have more respect for her foes. I mean, how can you truly appreciate your own team, if none of the competition is any good. It is like gloating over the Lakers beating a high school team. R E S P E C T