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Hoodie instead of jersey – LeBron James had to watch against the Denver Nuggets because of a foot injury
Quelle: USA TODAY Sports/Gary A. Vasquez
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Because the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, the situation is even worse than on Friday, when only two wins had to be made up. And even then, after the loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, James said, “The overall picture is that that was pretty much a must-win for us – and we didn’t get the job done.”
“We look really good on paper”
In principle, everyone knows that this season is over. The Lakers and the Boston Celtics still share the title of record champions in the NBA, each with 17 titles. But instead of the team that once brought show and sport together and that defines itself more than any other team in the league through success and victories, the Celtics may soon be the most successful team in league history – the team around national player Daniel Theis is in the Eastern Conference in second place and have won 13 of their last 16 games. The Lakers’ haul over the same period? Four wins. Twelve defeats.
The Lakers were so confident going into the season – after all, the roster sounded like that of an All-Star game. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were already there, followed by Carmelo Anthony and, supposedly the most important newcomer, Russell Westbrook. What you didn’t think Dennis Schröder was capable of after his only season in the Lakers jersey, Westbrook should now be – the engine of a well-running offensive machine. “We look really good on paper,” Davis said after the Nuggets’ defeat. “But we didn’t get a chance to show that.”