Who really saw this Lakers run coming?

Column: Who really saw this Lakers run coming? https://t.co/LxwkWLY2I6

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) October 7, 2020

Lakers’ Title Run Was Anything But Predictable

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers are on the brink of winning the 2020 NBA Finals, but this run was anything but predictable.

Lakers fans emotions swing from exuberance to rage, often in consecutive tweets. They crow when the team succeeds—as L.A. did on Sunday, claiming a 102-96 win over Miami in Game 4 of the NBA Finals—and then proceed to hunt down anyone that was skeptical that they would.

The Lakers are one win away from a 17th championship and everyone east of Riverside wants you to know that you should have seen this coming. LeBron James led all scorers with 28 points, chipping in his usual 12 rebounds and eight assists. Hours before the game, James fired a short text message off to his teammates: Must win, part of the message said. And the Lakers, two days after an ugly Game 3 loss, responded.

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James can secure his fourth championship on Friday and in L.A., this has been deemed predictable. Never mind that, at 35, James was coming off a sluggish, injury plagued ’18-19 season that saw James play the fewest games (55) of his career. Forget that the Lakers, the roster gutted after the acquisition of Davis, had to fill it out late in free agency with what amounted to NBA leftovers. Or that the coach, Frank Vogel, was at best the front office’s third choice.

This level of success was anything but predictable. Perhaps the playoffs were a lock. Some (cough, cough) foolishly wondered in September if they would get there. But if you really believed the Lakers would be one win away from a (virtual) parade, let’s see the (betting) receipts.