All the momentum that the Lakers gained over the last 2 months has rapidly come undone. Since LeBron James went off with a groin injury, they have lost 4 in a row and have fallen from the 2 seed to the 5 seed. Lakers fans are understandably distraught, but Paul Pierce could not be enjoying this more.
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Pierce was questioned by Speak podcast host Joy Taylor if he felt “bad for the Lakers.” The Celtics legend burst out laughing!
“Feel bad for the Lakers? Pssh,” he said and laughed some more.
Pierce remained professional, though, and recovered his composure. He felt the Lakers’ hype was justified because of the kind of basketball they’ve been playing over the past two months. He added that, while they’ve been hit hard by injuries and scheduling issues, the Lakers were called contenders for a reason, and that doesn’t just disappear overnight.
“This is one of the toughest stretches of the season,” he said. “So it’s just bad timing. I don’t think we got ahead of ourselves with the Lakers. They gave us a good 2-3 weeks of good basketball when they were healthy.”
The Lakers are currently missing 3 of their starters in LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes. Pierce believes that their health will be very important because this same Lakers side has shown what they’re capable of over the last 2 months.
There’s also the question of avoiding the play-in, which looked like a certainty before James went down. LA now sits in the 5th seed at 2.5 games ahead of the 6th-seed Warriors.
The Lakers just need to do damage control until their main players are back in the lineup. That may be easier said than done with such a tough remaining schedule that includes 5 sets of back-to-backs. They’ll have to play with the intensity they’ve come to show under Redick and hope their role players can step up and deliver.
Obviously, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic will be forced to do a lot of the heavy lifting on offense, but their defensive frailties are well-known.
The Lakers have no shortage of defensive-minded players, with Jarred Vanderbilt, Jordan Goodwin, and Gabe Vincent proving their worth. Their upcoming stretch will test not only of their mettle and nerve but also Redick’s coaching.
Will he be able to stop the bleeding and bring the Lakers back into the marauding form they had over the last two months, or will they find themselves in an all-too-familiar setting—the play-in tournament?
