Optimism Discussion: The Laker's Sky Is Not Falling

Is it wrong to still feel that this team healthy especially with DInwiddie is really really good?
They've just had a lot of difficulty with some ham handed coaching and injuries.

Feels everyone is down because of the recent injuries but I think frankly those would have been fairly easy wins with a healthy AD

 

I don't think its wrong. I also don't think it is wrong for people to be skeptical of what these guys "will" do.

Personally I think we can beat any team in a 1 game elimination game or a series. What people don't see, in my opinion anyway, is that this team will go where DLO and Austin take us. We all know LBJ and AD are the core BUT if we look at the games we cook its when DLO and/or Austin is killing it on O. We lost to denver when we stopped hitting shots. Unlike last season we do more attacking and kicking this year than we did last year. In the end, if healthy and those two dudes are putting pressure on the defense I think we really got a chance.

 

Welp, 8th is still in play I believe...

Absolutely need Pels to beat the Warriors tomorrow, and need Suns to beat the Kings.

I just realized Pels will still play hard against us as they'll need to fend off the SUNS for the 6th spot.

Ideally, the Suns win against the Kings and Twolves, Pels win against Warriors and lose against us, and the standings would look like this:

6. Suns - 49-33
7. Pels - 49-33
8. Lakers - 47-35
9. Kings - 46-36
10. Warriors - 46-36

If Suns LOSE both of their games against Kings and Twolves, Pels lose against Warriors and us, standings would look like this:

6. Pels - 48-34
7. Suns - 47-35
8. Kings - 47-35
9. Warriors - 47-35
10. Lakers - 47-35

Boy we really need Suns to win out, and Pels to beat Warriors, and for us to win out of course. Drawing the Pels in the 7/8 play-in game is about as good of a scenario as we could dream up - matching up against the Suns, Kings or Warriors in the play-in is a death wish for us.

 

we could end up getting denver in the first round haha

 

Very optimistic take Sirron lol this team has failed when given a chance to move up, all season long, I don’t think they get passed the Warriors if the game is in San Francisco…

 

Look how insane that tank the playin game so you get OKC talks looks now that Sac went down. That is the only team that the Lakers look like trash against

 

We're playing our best ball of the season and hopefully Bron/AD are as fresh as they can be against Denver.

I also feel that we're a bit more "lathered" up than Denver who will be going on nearly a week of no basketball whereas we had to essentially gut out 2 playoff-style like victories in New Orleans.

Hopefully we can catch them off guard on Saturday...if we win game 1, I think we have a shot. I also think leBron is undefeated when he wins game 1 of a series?

 

Since I don't like to go into a match-up in a pessimistic mood, here is my list of reasons why the Lakers will advance to the second round:
1. I just looked up Denver's 3P% in the series against the Lakers last year. They had 4 players with >40% in the starting 5 alone, on almost 29 3PA. I don't know how rare that is, but it certainly seems insane, and many of those were heavily contested. Yet the Lakers still were in almost every game in the final 1-2 minutes. There's no way Denver shoots this good from deep again.
2. The Nuggets are cocky, the Lakers are heavy underdogs. I think this also gives us an edge.
3. No Brown this time on the Nuggets to hunt DLO.
4. DLO will have a (hopefully much) better series this year, book it. Not many seem to believe in him and granted, he had his downs in important games throughout his career. But he also delivered in some big games this season, looking forward to him sticking it to Malone.
5. Both Bron and AD are more healthy.
6. The team is not as exhausted as last year, seemingly.
7. More familiarity and chemistry (albeit not as much as it should have been thanks to the idiot pretending to be the HC).
8. Reaves and Rui with one more year under their belts should be even better, both are winning players and step up when it matters.
9. Bron knows it may be his last chance for a chip, he should be very motivated.
10. Our 3P shooting this season has been much, much improved. Not sure about the rest of the guys, but I expect at least Bron to keep it up in the PO.
11. The playbook seems to be improved from last year, hopefully they run actual sets more often than not.
12. Now this is stretching it, but still - Ham was better in the playoffs last year than throughout this RS. Hopefully he also can step up his game again.

Nobody outside of LA believes in this team, maybe at least its fans should .

Can't wait till Saturday.

 

^^^

 

I'm optimistic/positive some of our members use recreational drugs.

that being said, hope we win!!!

 

So…. 16-1?

 

Still Lakers in 6.It is impossible for D-lo,Rui and Austin to play worse than yesterday at same time.
BTW Reaves was scoring 22 ,23 points in games 1-3 last season at WCF.Yesterdat he just scored 13 points

 

Bye Ham, that's all I got after this game.

 

maybe we should close this thread until free agency or our next win or?

(Next season haha?)

 

As heartbreaking as this loss was, I still think Game 3 is winnable. We’ve proven that we can outplay them for large stretches, just have to figure out how to adjust (with Ham - that’s no small feat).

If we win Game 3, I think we can make it a series.

 

Optimistic for my wallet that I’m going to be refunded the Game 6 tickets I bought because this is going to be over in 4

 

Haha I know bro I’m tryna spin over here alright.

 

Nope. Had to split in Denver.

Since this is the optimism thread. Only 2 games left of Ham.

 

Free agency? I don’t think we’re going to be too optimistic after we gut our depth and draft assets for Trae Young and round out free agency with veterans minimum scrubs