It's been a season of the unbelievable for the Los Angeles Lakers. From the hiring of JJ Redick to the trade for Luka Dončić, Lakers fans have gotten a months-long lesson in the value of believing in the ancient philosopher Kevin Garnett's proverb: Anything is possible.
Lakers nation has really gone through it this season, but that's mostly been a good thing. Sure, there were some bumps in the road, such as the failed trade for Mark Williams or the stretch where seemingly every player of note was hurt, but by and large this season has been a resounding success. Nobody expected the Lakers to finish third in the Western Conference before the season began or roll off 18 wins in 21 games at any point.
The postseason brings with it a clean slate, so for as much of a success as the regular season was, what's past is past, and it won't do L.A. any good now. That's doubly true after the Lakers lost Game 1 of their first-round series at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a 117-95 beatdown that didn't even feel as close as the final score indicated.
Lakers fans may not be in outright panic mode just yet, but they're certainly concerned. Dončić scored 37 in Game 1 but got little help from his teammates, and he also didn't do much to elevate their play as he shockingly only had one assist. The team looked a step slow on defense and almost powerless to stop the Wolves' crisp ball movement, a far cry from the stretch where they had the best defensive rating in the NBA after the trade deadline.
Tonight's Game 2 is the biggest game the Lakers have played this season. After the lopsided way that Game 1 played out, this is a real gut check for a group that has been learning to play with each other on the fly for months, and a loss would mean needing to win four of the next five games and at least two at the Target Center. The Lakers have to adjust and play much better to have a chance.
The Lakers are a veteran bunch, so if any team can right the ship after one bad game, it's them. Nobody has even close to the playoff experience of LeBron James, and Dončić is just a year removed from carrying an underdog Mavericks team to the NBA Finals, ironically going through Minnesota to get there.
LeBron has continued to play at an incredibly high level all season long, a thing that feels crazy to see because he's 40 years old, yet not crazy at all because this is LeBron freaking James we're talking about. This is not a guy that you can ever count out, because time and time again throughout his 22 years in the league, LeBron has found a way.
Lakers fans should take comfort in having LeBron James on their side
LeBron's playoff record speaks for itself. He's won the NBA title four times with three different teams, and he's made the Finals six other times, often with teams that, other than him, had no business getting that deep into the postseason. He has 183 wins and 105 losses in the playoffs, and his series record is a sterling 41-13.
This Lakers team is a far cry from the Boobie Gibson-Anderson Varejão-Matthew Dellavedova groups that LeBron used to put on his back. I don't mean that as a knock on those players, because I loved them all, but it's fair to say that Dončić, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith bring more to the table than many of LBJ's old running mates.
Losing Game 1 isn't a guarantee of elimination, but the fact that over three-quarters of all Game 1 losers fail to come back and advance is proof that getting ahead is ultra important. As with most things in his career, though, LeBron has defied the odds. When he loses Game 1, his teams have still managed to win the series more than half the time, with 12 wins and 11 losses. Even when the Lakers won the title in the bubble in 2020, they lost Game 1 in the first and second rounds before going on to win.
In light of this, Lakers fans should still be confident heading into Game 2, though in fairness, they'd feel much better if Game 1 had gone differently. LeBron's record when going up 1-0 in a series? A nearly perfect 30-2.
Tune into TNT tonight at 10 p.m. ET to see if LeBron and friends can even the series.