They disappointed, a lot, and can still disappoint. Back to the wall, cornered by media pressure, the Lakers are fighting to save their 2021-22 season. Last October, they were predicted in the heights of the Western Conference, with a record of 57 wins for 25 losses. Five months later, the balance sheet is negative (31-44), the dynamic is wobbly. Seven scenarios are to be anticipated.
TrashTalk knowing how to live with the times, it is a small technological revolution that is offered to you in this paper: a classic reading, accompanied by an air to find just-HERE. Yes, we master 4D at the editorial office.
11th place in the West, long live the holidays: 21% chance
It’s panic: LeBron James’ ankle does not deflate and Anthony Davis dislocated his finger by removing his foot splint. None of the friends will return to this end of the regular season. The fate of the purple franchise is therefore in the hands of Russell Westbrook. Alone at the head of a team, he is known to be capable of moving mountains as well as sinking an entire institution. He has no choice, he has to succeed. A first XXL performance against the Jazz, sounds the revolt: 43 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists, 9 lost balls and an escalated Rudy Gobert. But over a series of seven games, performing from the start is possibly the worst that could have happened to Russell Westbrook. The point guard arrives disguised as a fire extinguisher for the reception of the Pelicans, a gain of confidence which dissipates any trace of lucidity in him. Four quarters later, he takes the tunnel towards the locker room, his face bewildered, as if he had just tried a last shot from eight meters on three defenders. That’s what he did. Too polite to point out that he was open, Austin Reaves does not grumble, focus on the deadlines to come. But the sequence Nuggets – Suns – Warriors turns to debacle. If Russell Westbrook alternates between the good and the less good, the Lakers collect 131.8 points on average over the three meetings. The good reception of the Thunder will not be enough, the locker room is shot down, the troop of Frank Vogel concludes its season with a picket in Denver.
12th place in the West, long live the holidays: 1% chance
Well there it’s the same, except that a guy made a bad valve to the Kings: “But if I swear to you, you can still hang the play-in huh”.
Elimination in the play-in tournament: 20% chance
“Whoever started this shit needs to be fired!” “. No, LeBron James wasn’t talking about the Lakers 2021-22 roster, but the play-in tournament. In May 2021, when the vioc stepped up against this new format, the play-in did not suit the Lakers, 6th in the West, equally with Portland, 7th. Almost a year later, LeBron James and his Lakers, 10th, need the play-in to hope for qualification in the Playoffs. How ironic. In this new scenario, the Lakers end their regular season correctly, without shaking. The play-in is acquired, it only takes two victories to access the postseason. Two victories to save a regular oh so badly embarked. With LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook strong, Frank Vogel’s squad has a great chance of slapping the Pelicans in a game. But no one is unaware that the joints of a 37-year-old man crackle. A second opposition will be more complicated to collect. Paul George’s Clippers or Karl-Anthony Towns’ Wolves? In both cases, the opponent is a bit itchy motivated by his ambition to pass a course. Our clairvoyance ball indicates a Batum Battalion boosted, gravedigger of the Lakers on a dagger three minutes from time: 112-99. Accustomed to preposterous scenarios, Hollywood never believed it.
Elimination in the first round of the Playoffs: 50% chance
What if the bodies of LeBron James and Anthony Davis decided to work over two meetings? Unscathed from the play-in, this bottleneck, the Lakers have an appointment with the impossible. You have to reshuffle the cards, redistribute them, pass one or two under the table, possibly tear them up. The Suns come out of the best regular season in their history. The assembly of Monty Williams is perfect: Chris Paul at the wand, Devin Booker smashes the lines, Mikal Bridges tightens them, Deandre Ayton makes the trash. But the X factor won’t be any of these four guys. Every year, when the drums of the Playoffs resound, Jae Crowder becomes a monster of mischief. We explain. Phoenix wins the first two games at home, rather largely, but a huge LeBron with 47 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists recovers Game 3. The Suns are under pressure, they must not let go of one more to the Angelinos under penalty to show a first sign of weakness, a flaw to be exploited. Game 4 is tight, a place of total awkwardness. Seven minutes from time, the Lakers lead by five points. A trivial difference but so difficult to overcome in this kind of meeting where sweat and testosterone dominate lucidity. On an offensive rebound, Anthony Davis lands a very light, involuntary nudge to Jae Crowder. On the ground, the Phoenix winger chained the rolls, without showing a face that we imagine fresh and flawless. In a substitute joggo, Elfrid Payton pretends to bend over to get some news and slips a kick in the nose of his buddy. A scene of nonsense that goes completely unnoticed. Raised, Jae Crowder displays his injury to the referees who expel Anthony Davis. The following ? The strong winger takes four games of suspensions, the Lakers lose the series 4-1, the bloody pump of Elfrid Payton is sold $ 500,000 to a Russian oligarch.
Elimination in the conference semi-finals: 9% chance
In a world parallel to the parallel world in which Jae Crowder takes a kick from Elfrid Payton, the Lakers hit Phoenix thanks to an Anthony Davis at the top of his game (29.6 points and 14.7 rebounds on average over the series ). Consciences are awakening, the bear skin was sold too soon. The most exciting in this case is that winners of the Warriors, the Nuggets complete this semi-final. So how could the Lakers lose to home-focused Denver after overcoming the versatility of Phoenix? The injury factor returns to the party and Anthony Davis is announced out for the series because of“a shell left in the egg yolk. » Without the defensive opposition of Unibrow, Nikola Jokic loose, on the head of Dwight Howard, one of the most beautiful series in the history of the Playoffs: 46.2 points, 18 rebounds and 16.9 assists on average, at 63 % shooting including 41% parking. Note that Malik Monk will take a technical foul for one: “board** we get puffed up by Augustus Gloop”.
Conference final: 0.672% chance
Woah, Luka Doncic’s Mavericks are in the Western Conference Finals. After drumming up the Serb, LeBron James and his family go hunting for the Slovenian for a series that will go into seven games. Everything will be played on a final possession. There are 23 seconds left, the score is 107-107, Luka Doncic takes the ball. At the head of his racket, bent like a petanque player, Russell Westbrook hits the floor with both hands, just to intimidate Luka Doncic, to show him that he too still has some in the trunk. One more scene to add to the great book of actions in a vacuum: the Slovene drives away and, on his shoulder, pushes Russ away without difficulty. Although there are still nine seconds left on the clock, the Lakers are not coming back. Their last shot is entrusted to Kendrick Nunn, who has just returned from injury, who has not yet taken a single one in the season. Found open by LeBron, fullback draws bellowing «KOBEEE» and sends an aircraft against the clock of 24. Frank Vogel will justify himself by “a tactical choice. »
NBA title: 0.328% chance
According to the various bookmakers, the odds of the Lakers champions NBA 2022 is fixed at 80. That is to say that if you put 50 euros, you lose 50 euros. But there is a probability, as small as it is, that today 10th, the Lakers go to the end. For this final series, JR Smith arrives as a so-called medical joker and asks if he can bring back “His buddy J. Cole. » His request is left unanswered by management. Gravediggers of predictions for the second half of the season, it is the Celtics who show up opposite, kings of an Eastern Conference on their knees. But the little guys from Massachusetts are not going to last long: a sweep The Lakers’ 4-0 draws the curtain back on the worst NBA Finals in history. The reason ? Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Marcus Smart and Payton Pritchard decided to strike at the worst of times, to “protest against toxic waste from the Ford plant. » It was therefore Juhann Begarin who was recalled from Paris Basket to take the lead as a starter. Despite very correct averages of 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists, the Frenchman is logically powerless. The Lakers are NBA 2022 champions, JR Smith will go a month without a t-shirt.
Anyone seen JR Smith’s shirt? pic.twitter.com/cbkub8zAot
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 22, 2016
