Like countless fans around the world, Lakers legend Magic Johnson was glued to his television last night to watch the Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs. After giving up a 20-point lead to lose the game, Magic gave a rather disapproving review of the team and described himself as "devastated" over the final results.
"Last night I was so devastated I couldn’t even tweet An unbelievable shot by Jamal Murray, and an outstanding comeback by the Nuggets," wrote Magic on X.
While LeBron James and Anthony Davis were quick to blame the referees after the game, Magic blamed the Lakers players themselves for failing to close the deal and get the job done.
"The Lakers have nobody to blame but themselves," continued Magic in a follow-up post. "They did everything they were supposed to do but win the game! AD and LeBron both did their part, they got scoring help from Russell, and they still lost."
The Lakers looked pretty good in the first half and at one point built up a 20-point lead over the defending champs. LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 58 points in the game and both shot over 50% from the field. D'Angelo Russell even poured in a good performance (after dropping 13 on Sunday) with 23 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds on 63% from three.
In the end, however, none of it was enough to overcome a late-game push from the Nuggets, which ended with a game-winning fadeaway from Jamal Murray. Magic, who is a 5x Lakers champion, was hoping to watch his old team make a run this year but instead, he's on the verge of witnessing a sweep for the second straight year.
Game 3 is the last chance for the Lakers to find a formula that works but with no answers so far, the odds are not in their favor to pull off this upset win. Pretty soon, the focus will shift to the off-season where they are expected to make some major changes to salvage what's left of the LeBron James era.
Los Angeles Lakers Need To Make A Trade This Summer
With LeBron James at 39 years old, the clock is ticking on his career, and the Lakers probably only have a few more years with him at playing an elite level. With a sweep becoming a likely reality for Los Angeles, they will face a lot of uncertainty this summer as they evaluate the biggest flaws of the roster.
Of course, with the future of Bronny James currently up for grabs, James' path is still uncertain and the Lakers could find themselves without their star depending on where his son gets drafted. In that scenario, the Lakers might be better off selling everything and starting a whole new rebuild.
Even if LeBron and Davis do return and continue their partnership, it won't be enough to close the gap with teams like the Nuggets, Timberwolves, or Oklahoma City Thunder. The only path to victory against those teams is by adding more star-power to the roster, either in the form of Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, or another young and disgruntled scorer on the perimeter. But with such limited assets to work with, the Lakers are at a major disadvantage going forward and they'll need a lucky break to change their roster in a meaningful way this summer.
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