If you are wondering why the Los Angeles Lakers have laid such an egg this season, look no further than the latest comment Carmelo Anthony made.
The Lakers lost to the rival L.A. Clippers on Friday for the sixth straight time. Although the Lakers were leading for much of the fourth quarter, they found themselves trailing by one point with less than 15 seconds remaining. When the Clippers went to double-team LeBron James, he swung it to Anthony at the top of the arc. Instead of getting a better shot (keep in mind that they only needed a two to take the lead), Anthony bombed away with an ill-advised 30-footer. The shot was way short, and the Lakers lost.
After the game, Anthony expressed no regrets and said that he would shoot the same shot again every single time.
Anthony’s brash comment perfectly sums up why the 27-32 Lakers are in the gutter. Their roster is loaded with players on the wrong side of 30 who are unwilling to sacrifice their egos for the betterment of the team. Instead of making the right basketball play, many of the Lakers veterans would rather have the individual glory or none of it at all. That has been true of Anthony. That has been true of Russell Westbrook. To an extent, that has even been true of James, who has delved deeper and deeper into hero ball this season and is averaging his fewest assists per game in nearly a decade.
The Lakers, who now have just 23 games remaining in the regular season, are quickly becoming a laughingstock of the league. It is hard to imagine that the same would be true though if they had checked their egos at the door from the very start and sacrificed for the greater good.
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