The whole world seems to be writing off the Lakers now.
The reality is justified. The Lakers are wounded heavyweights staggering into the postseason without their two sharpest blades inLuka Doncicand Austin Reaves. Without them, they don’t stand a chance, right?
That’s the surface-level take. The easy one. It might also be the wrong one.
Because as three-time NBA champion and 1988 NBA Finals MVP James Worthy recently reminded us, whatthe Lakersbuilt in March wasn’t just a hot streak. It was something far more dangerous to an opponent like the Rockets. Something that doesn’t show up in a box score and doesn’t disappear when two stars have to watch from the sideline wearing street clothes.
“They built good chemistry over the last month, and that chemistry doesn’t go away even without your two star players,” Worthy told The California Post in an exclusive interview earlier this week.
Worthy thinks that team chemistry and a free-thinking approach to the game can help the Lakers against the Rockets. During their 16-2 stretch over 18 games in March, the Lakers learned a lot about each other. That chemistry and trust was stitched together in the margins — on cross-country flights, in late-night dinners and on golf courses where laughter and joy replaced in-depth scouting reports.
“It’s a good team-bonding thing,”Lakers coach JJ Redicksaid about the team’s golf outings.
Lakers forward Jake LaRavia confirmed it.
“Chemistry is getting better off the court and on the court, and you can see it in the way we’re playing together offensively and defensively,” LaRavia said at the end of March.
That doesn’t evaporate because two names are missing from the lineup card. You don’t misplace it like a headband or forget it in your locker. That team chemistry will show up when things get tight and when the game slows down.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
