Los Angeles Lakers again will not be among the NBA conference semifinalists, the last eight survivors of the US Basketball League. The LeBron James team lost for 103 The 96 for Minnesota Timberwolves, which closed 4-1 the best seven series valid for the first round of the playoffs.
With the defeat in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (30), a scenario that has been recurring is repeated. Since James was hired in 2018, the Californian team only passed from the early stage of the knockout once-in 2020, in a campaign went to the title, without fans in the gym, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
There was hope in the fan of another long walk, especially after Luka Doncic’s arrival in February, in a bombastic negotiation with Dallas Mavericks. Slovenian shipowner, now 26, joined the height of his career to LeBron, who at 40 still produces exceptional numbers.
The results appeared rapidly, and the Lakers went up from seventh to third place in the fierce West Conference. The work of newbie coach JJ Redick, 40, was widely praised, and the Californian team got a court to be commanded in a series of “playoffs” for the first time since 2012 – in 2020, in the Orlando Sanitary Bubble, without fans, in practice, there was no principal.
The advantage of the command was lost in the match that opened the series, an imposing 117 to 95 of the Timberwolves in Los Angeles. The Californian formation reacted in the next game, also at home, based on a strong defense, and went to Minneapolis for two hard clashes, decided at the end of Minnesota, who made 3-1.
LeBron had good numbers in these two losses away (38 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in the first, 27 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists). But wing-wing Anthony Edwards, 23, was more decisive than the old star and than Doncic, leaving his opponent with his back on the wall in the series. In the fourth match, he scored 43 points.
It was no use complaints about arbitration, although the NBA itself admitted a mistake against the Lakers at the decisive moment in game 4. And there were criticism for Redick, who made no replacement in the second half. Tired, the Los Angeles team wasted a ten -point advantage in the last quarter.
It remained to seek survival in game 5, with the series back to California. Once again, the team led by Chris Finch, who had over the five matches great contributions from the Jaden McDaniels wing and important moments of other good edwards, such as Naz Reid and Julius Randle.
