Things are certainly trending in the wrong direction for the Los Angeles Lakers as the stretch-run of the 2021-22 NBA begins to play out. They have lost 10 out of their last 13 games and continue slipping down the standings in the Western Conference.
With a record of 27-34, they are nine games behind the sixth-place Denver Nuggets for the last spot outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament. They have to start worrying about even holding onto a spot there, as the Lakers are only two games ahead of the 11th place Portland Trail Blazers.
Things aren’t going to get any easier to finish out the week as the Lakers will be facing off with the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors. The Clippers just defeated the Lakers last weekend and they would likely need a miracle to knock off the Golden State Warriors at this point.
While things are certainly bleak, the Los Angeles Lakers can at least count on LeBron James pushing through and trying to help the team win games. Despite some nagging knee issues and the team’s poor performance, James is still confident in himself and has no plans to shut things down at the end of the season.
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”We still have games to play,” James told reporters after Los Angeles’s 10th defeat in its last 13 games. ”Until you stomp me out, cut my head off, bury me 12 feet under, then I got a chance. So that’s my confidence.”
To most people, this season seems like a lost one for the Lakers, but don’t tell that to LeBron James. He is going to go out there and give it all he can every night, but it is fair to wonder if that is even enough nowadays for the purple and gold.
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LeBron James has been putting up incredible statistics all season, but at 37-years old, he can’t carry a team like he used to. Even in his prime, James would likely struggle to get this current Los Angeles Lakers roster over the top as they are a disjointed group lacking chemistry and cohesion.
But, he is certainly right. We have seen masterful performances from him this season, as he has shown he is more than capable of carrying a team for spurts. No matter how much the odds are stacked against him, it will always be tough betting against a James-led team.
