The Lakers (34-22) are currently tied for fifth but just a game out of third in the Western Conference. Sure, they’re not replicating the halcyon days of the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant or Showtime eras, but they’re still in a pretty good spot with 26 games left in the regular season. Well, that’s the macro view.
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When we put a magnifying glass to the Lakers, it becomes apparent that they have some glaring issues. Most worrying of all is their propensity to get blown out by most of the good teams they face. An incredible 19 of their 22 losses this season have come by double digits.
On Sunday night, they were smacked at home by the Celtics 111-89. The Lakers trailed by 10 at halftime in this one and never got the deficit under seven in the second half. Paired with a 21-point loss in Boston in early December, their biggest rivals swept the Lakers this season. Even worse, it happened in front of a bunch of Lakers legends.
The purple and gold icons were present to honor former coach Pat Riley, whose new statue was unveiled at halftime. And James Worthy, who was in attendance, didn’t hold back his opinion about how the Lakers played. “This game, to me, wasn’t about stats… No heart. Weak,” he said.
Worthy pointed out that the Lakers, who finally had a healthy Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves on the court together, were no match for a Celtics team that still hasn’t gotten Jayson Tatum back.
“No Tatum, you’re at home, you’re in fifth place, you’re trying to move up,” said Worthy. “You show no respect for the uniform.”
The Lakers were outscored from the 3-point line and outscored in the paint. They had 11 fewer assists and 11 fewer rebounds than the Celtics. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard both scored over 30, while Luka was the highest scorer for the Lakers with 25. The teams were tied after the first quarter. The Lakers got outscored in every quarter after that, which shows how much Boston dominated the proceedings.
Playing like this in front of Riley, Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and so many other Lakers greats was a reminder of how far this team has to go to reclaim its once lofty status in the league.
This year’s Lakers don’t even have a positive point differential. And there are no analysts who are taking them seriously for anything other than a first-round playoff exit.
The upcoming schedule will show if this team has any pulse whatsoever. That’s because just as they faced the Celtics without Tatum, their next few games will be against the Franz Wagner-less Magic, the Dillon Brooks-less Suns, and the Warriors without Steph Curry.
The Lakers have been able to use injuries as an excuse for much of the season. But with their big three now healthy for the stretch run, there’s no reason they can’t make some noise.
Unless Worthy is right and they have no heart, that is. Let’s see if they respect the uniform when they play on Tuesday night.
