Articles

There was a time, as a devout Kobe Bryant stan, I was guilty of downplaying how great a basketball player LeBron James was and taking great pleasure in the harsh criticism he received for his ‘Decision’ to join the Miami Heat.

Championing Kobe and downplaying LeBron quickly became my mantra as James assumed the mantle as the league’s ‘new’ greatest player and took over from Jordan as Bryant’s primary competitor and major protagonist. Supporting Kobe over LeBron became a Herculean task over Bryant’s last six years as the Lakers failed to make the NBA Finals or win a championship while LeBron participated in six Finals and won three championships.

Then Kobe retired and rumors started the Lakers wanted to sign LeBron as a free agent, a move I quickly and vociferously opposed as a desperate gambit that would surely compromise the team’s independence and future success. For me, signing LeBron James was tantamount to the Lakers capitulating and becoming a west coast version of the Cleveland Cavaliers, handicapped by his 1-year contracts and handpicked teammates’ costly long term deals.

When Magic Johnson signed LeBron to a four-year contract, I was skeptical and still suspicious about how much control the Lakers would have to yield to James, fearing he would become the team’s defacto GM and head coach. The media spin that LeBron had joined the Lakers because of his long-term desire to move his family and business to Los Angeles rather than any short-term hunger to win another NBA championship only increased my doubts.

Despite a promising start, LeBron’s first season with the Lakers only added to my concerns when he went down to a groin injury on Christmas day against the Warriors and the team finished the season with a 35–47 record. Magic’s failed attempt to trade for Anthony Davis ended up undermining any chance the Lakers had at developing team chemistry and eventually resulted in Johnson’s resignation and head coach Luke Walton’s firing.

But those events created the opportunity for Rob Pelinka to take control of the Lakers, get everybody in the organization on the same page, complete the trade for AD, and install Frank Vogel as the team’s new head coach. Then came two monumental events that finally convinced me LeBron bled purple and gold and deserved to wear a Lakers jersey and converted me from a tried and true Kobe Bryant stan into a die-hard LeBron James fan.

The first of course was LeBron James passing Kobe Bryant for third place in the NBA’s all-time scoring list, an event that resulted in a mutual love fest of respect and praise between the former and the new faces of the franchise. That LeBron at thirty-five years old was still playing at such an elite level, embracing playing for the Lakers, and so respectfully assuming the mantle as the franchise’s new leader simply melted away any lingering negativity.

The second event was obviously how LeBron James stepped up to take the Lakers’ torch from Kobe in the aftermath of the devastating helicopter crash the very next day that killed Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others. Kobe had congratulated LeBron the night before about passing him and LeBron left no doubt he loved Kobe as a big brother and was committed to carrying on Mamba’s quest for Lakers’ championships and greatness.

The death of Kobe Bryant and the suspension of what was looking like a possible Lakers’ championship season due to the coronavirus pandemic have been a tough double whammy to the Lakers and their millions of fans. On the bright side, LeBron James is still a viable candidate for best player and the Lakers for best team in the league and hope still abounds that the season will be resumed and the Lakers can win the championship.

While Kobe’s death broke our hearts, his passing of the torch to LeBron has erased any conflict between respecting and appreciating the greatness of the Mamba while still embracing King James as the new face of the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping and praying they’ll get the opportunity to resume the 2019–20 season and bring home their 17th NBA title to avoid another promising season joining the ghosts of Lakers’ lost championships.

While their 16 NBA championships are the second most won by any NBA franchise other than the 17 won by the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers have also lost a record 15 NBA Finals, more than any other team. They’ve lost 9 times to the Boston Celtics, twice to the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons, and once to Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls. 4 of the 9 Celtics’ losses and 1 of the 2 Knicks’ losses involved losing Game 7.

So as great as their storied legacy is, having appeared in 31 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers are certainly no stranger to ghosts of lost championships as their NBA Finals record of 16 wins and 15 losses is barely over 50%. Digging deeper, when you take away their 5 Finals’ wins and 1 Finals’ loss when in Minneapolis, the ‘Los Angeles’ Lakers record in NBA Finals is only 11 wins and 14 losses, which translates to a win percentage of just 44%.

To be fair to the Lakers, 6 of their 9 losses to the Boston Celtics were from more than fifty years ago. When you look at the Lakers’ record in NBA Finals over the last fifty years, it’s a more respectable 11 wins and 8 losses. Unfortunately, no matter how you want to spin it, the Lakers have missed several golden opportunities to win in the NBA Finals, which has inevitably caused them to be haunted by multiple ghosts of lost championships.

So let’s take a brief tour of the missed opportunities that could have been Lakers’ titles but ended up becoming the ghosts of lost championships:

---

(1) 1961–62 Finals’ Loss to the Boston Celtics in 7 games.

Led by superstars Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, the Lakers lost a Game 7 overtime heartbreaker to the Celtics by 3 points after Frank Selvy’s potential game-winning jumper from 18 feet at the end of regulation fell short.

(2) 1965–66 Finals’ Loss to the Boston Celtics in 7 games.

Led again by superstars Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, the Lakers once again lost Game 7 to the Celtics, this time by 2 points after furiously rallying and coming back from down 16 points at the start of the fourth quarter.

(3) 1968-69 Finals’ Loss to the Boston Celtics in 7 games.

With Wilt Chamberlain joining Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, the Lakers had home court advantage and a 3–2 lead over the Celtics before losing Games 6 and 7 in the only Finals where Jerry West, a losing player, won MVP.

(4) 1969–70 Finals’ Loss to the New York Knicks in 7 games.

Finally getting a shot against a team not the Celtics, the Lakers with Bayler, West, and Chamberlain were favored to win the title before an injured Willis Reed limped onto the court and inspired the Knicks to a Game 7 win.

(5) 1983–84 Finals’ Loss to the Boston Celtics in 7 games.

Facing the Celtics for the first time since 1969, the Magic and Kareem Lakers won the first two games of the series before McHale’s clothesline foul of Rambis turned the tide and Boston won three of the next four games.

(6) 2003–04 Finals’ Loss to the Detroit Pistons in 5 games.

Having signed HOF stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton, the Lakers were favorites to win the title but Malone’s injuries, Bryant’s rape allegations, and destructive Kobe-Shaq feud derailed any championship hopes.

(7) 2007–08 Finals’ Loss to the Boston Celtics in 6 games.

This was the ninth and final time the Celtics with their Big Three of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen defeated the Lakers with Bryant and Gasol for the NBA championship. Two years later, Kobe and the Lakers got their revenge.

---

As you can see from my above recaps, 5 of the 7 Lakers’ Finals classified as lost championships resulted from Game 7 losses. In contrast, only 5 of the 16 championships the Lakers have won were the result of Game 7 wins. While the Lakers’ record in Game 7’s is just 5 wins and 5 losses, basically a 50% win record, the flip side is 11 of the 16 championships the Lakers won were in series that they were able to finish off in 4, 5, or 6 game series.

Right now, I’m optimistic the Lakers will get an opportunity to win their 17th NBA championship. If the NBA does cancel the season, the Lakers will ultimately find themselves haunted by another lost championship.

I’ve always believed, if you look hard enough, you can find silver linings in every cloud. Even though the coronavirus pandemic hanging over our world has put that philosophy to its ultimate test, I still believe in silver linings.

Sometimes it takes great tragedy to inspire great change. That’s a theme we’ve seen repeated throughout history, great depressions generating new economic resurgences, deadly world wars leading to long periods of peace. Out of the ashes of this pandemic, I’m hopeful a national political and social renaissance will unite our country to embrace universal healthcare, create prosperity with a new green deal, and inspire us to build a better America.

Even though the suspension of the NBA season threatens to rob the Lakers of a chance to win their seventeenth championship, I still believe there are silver linings to be found in the dark clouds of this coronavirus pandemic. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at a couple potential silver linings we might be able to find in the storm clouds the coronavirus suspension has cast over the Los Angeles Lakers’ current as well as future seasons.

---

Silver Lining 1: Lakers could have better chance to win championship.

While the Lakers appeared to be the favorites to win the NBA championship before the NBA suspended the season, chances are looking good the season will resume and the Lakers could be in an even better position to win it all.

To start with, the recent success shelter-in-place and social distancing have had in controlling the growth of the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically improved odds the NBA will resume rather than cancel the 2019–20 season. Right now, that’s all the Los Angeles Lakers want, a chance to continue their great season and win their seventeenth NBA championship. They were the best team before the suspension and could even be better after the layoff.

The key to the Lakers’ championship hopes is the health of their superstars, especially 35-year old LeBron James who, because of his age and mileage, could clearly benefit from a brief two to three month midseason vacation. No player in the NBA who takes better care of or makes a bigger investment in his body than LeBron James. And unlike most NBA players, he has the dedicated training staff and personal gym to remain in prime game shape.

While LeBron James has missed only three games this season, the Lakers’ other superstar Anthony Davis has missed eight games with a host of minor injuries and dings endured during the sixty-three games the Lakers played. Like James, Davis is one of the few NBA players who has a full-time personal trainer and a full court gym in his home so he can work on his game rather than just conditioning like most players who don’t have access to a gym.

The playoffs are a tough second season that could last twenty-eight games. Going into the playoffs with a healthy and rested James and Davis could be a huge difference maker that could give the Lakers a dominant advantage. While the Lakers were playing at their peak before the suspension, James and Davis could be an even more formidable superstar duo after getting a couple of months rest before embarking on the grueling playoff schedule.

Then there’s the rest of the Lakers’ veteran roster, many of whom are also nursing or trying to recover from nagging injuries, including Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, and Alex Caruso. Having them healthy and rested could be the key to the Lakers’ playoff run. Just as important could be giving recently signed free agent Dion Waiters time to get in game shape to be the Lakers’ wild card once play resumes.

While the last thing the Lakers would have wanted was a delay right after dominating the Bucks and Clippers, the opportunity to get everybody fully healthy and rested could improve their chances of winning a championship.

---

Silver Lining 2: Lakers’ long-term prospects could be even better.

The likely changes facing the NBA as a result of the coronavirus pandemic could actually improve the Lakers’ prospects to improve their roster next season and beyond and increase their chances of winning championships.

The biggest factor impacting the Lakers’ future prospects is the projected drop in the salary cap the next couple of seasons, which is likely to dry up free agent markets and motivate most players to stay with current teams. Specifically, that eliminates the slim possibility Davis exercises his option and leaves the Lakers in free agency end of this season. As an eight year vet, he probably signs a two-year deal with LA to become supermax eligible.

The Lakers also have four role players who have options to become free agents this offseason, including three who possessed de facto no-trade clauses that limited the Lakers’ ability to pull off a major trade this winter. With the limited free agent market, there’s a good chance Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo will all opt to decline their player options and remain with the Lakers for next season.

Winning the 2019–20 championship, locking up Anthony Davis for the next two years, and having most of their free agents decline their player options should put the Lakers in an enviable position heading into the offseason. They’ll have Kyle Kuzma, their 2020 first round draft pick, and over $20 million in expiring contracts as trading chips to go after a second playmaker and third scorer to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Since the Lakers will be over the cap at the end of the season, they will also have their full MLE or Mid-Level Exception worth over $9 million to use to help fill some of the holes in the roster they were unable to fill last winter. The result is the Lakers should have the ability via free agency or trade to make major upgrades to their roster that should make them an even stronger team than the one favored to win the championship this season.

Looking even further down the road, the big question remaining is how the reduced salary cap over the next couple of years is going to affect superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks. The lower salary cap is likely to make it even more difficult for the Lakers to create the cap space to pursue Antetokounmpo as well make it more likely Giannis decides to sign a supermax extension to stay with the Bucks.

In a way, that could be a blessing in disguise as it could force the Lakers to focus on improving their supporting cast behind LeBron and AD rather than once again futilely pursuing and failing to land that elusive third superstar.

---

As I said at the start of this article, sometimes it takes adversity to unleash greatness. The coronavirus pandemic and the resultant suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season clearly portend a brand new normal for the league. While the games are likely to resume, there is no doubt it will be without live fans in the stands but sometimes people don’t know what they will miss until they actually find themselves in a situation where they lose something.

As basketball junkies, we became complacent and took the game and how important it was for our lives for granted. Being finally able to watch games again will be something I think we as fans are going to greatly appreciate. Being able to play games again is something I think NBA players are also going to greatly appreciate. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2019–20 NBA playoffs are one one of the greatest playoffs in the history of the game.

I also think LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the entire Los Angeles Lakers team is going to be so appreciative of the opportunity to finish the season that we’re going to see them win their seventeenth NBA championship.

---

While we’re still a month or two away from a decision, there are optimistic signs public health measures like shelter-in-place and social distancing may have given the NBA hope they may be able to resume the 2019–20 season.

While we’re not out of the woods yet and are are surely facing a new normal until we have a vaccine to protect people, there are reasons to believe we’ve been able to flatten the curve and avoid the original dystopian predictions. With shelter-in-place and social distancing lowering projected infections and deaths, the time’s come to begin making realistic plans how to fight our way out of this pandemic, restart our economy, and win back our lives.

Whether we’re talking about employees going back to work, kids going back to school, or people returning to restaurants, theaters, or sporting events, we’re probably talking about a long, slowly evolving, multiple year process. Social distancing is likely to remain with seating in bars and restaurants and number of customers allowed in stores and shops limited accordingly. In fact, it could be years before we see large crowds at sporting events again.

However, the encouraging signs we’ve flattened the coronavirus curve and urgency by state and federal governments to get the country started on the road to recovery bode well for professional sports leagues to resume play. Even leading public health experts like the esteemed Dr. Anthony Fauci have chimed in that playing games without fans is how professional sports leagues could help the country get started adjusting to the new normal.

---

So what do the prospects for the NBA resuming the 2019–20 season look like right now? To begin, we’re still probably at least a month away from having enough data from which to make a decision to resume the season. The good news, however, is some of the parameters that will determine whether and how the season could be resumed are starting to take shape as the NBA and the players’ association continue to explore possible options.

First, considering most players have not had access to facilities to maintain conditioning, the biggest non-coronavirus concern is determining how much time players will need to get back into shape to safely play games. There now appears to be a league-wide consensus that players will need at least 25 days to get ready to play games to avoid risking major injuries, 11 days of individual workouts followed by 14 days of full team workouts.

Second, there also seems to be a consensus the league needs to complete the season by having all teams play at least 70 games, that being the magic number guaranteed by the NBA to its national and local television partners. Right now, most teams have played 64 to 66 games with the Lakers’ 63 being the least and the Mavs’ and Hawks’ 67 being the most, which means NBA teams needing to play between 3 to 7 more games to reach 70 games.

Third, because there’s no way the games are going to be played before live crowds, there’s a consensus remaining regular season and playoff games will have to be played at a central location like Las Vegas or the Bahama. Limiting games to a central venue is realistically the only way to reduce travel time and enable controlled isolation and testing of players and possibly their families to insure nobody gets infected or spreads the virus.

Fourth, because the NBA, like every pro sports league, is going to face major financial challenges getting live fans to return to arenas, their new normal is going to have to become maximizing television and streaming revenues. That means making sure they generate as much broadcasting revenue as possible once they resume the regular season, which means the league will likely stick with the traditional best of seven format for the NBA playoffs.

---

While we still have a long way to go and testing and treatment challenges to win the war against the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important for our mental health and wellness to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it’s being able to safely go for a run, meet friends for dinner, go back to work, school, or shopping, or just watch the Lakers play the Bucks in the NBA Finals, we desperately need be able to return to that new normal.

For the first time in a long and arduous six to eight weeks of dread and dismay, there are signs we’ve turned the corner and may finally be able to envision our hopes and prayers being answered and better days coming.