The warning signs were there from the opening tip.
You could see it in the body language. In the heavy legs. In the passes that drifted too low. In the shots that fell short on the rim. In the compounding mental mistakes.
Fatigue isn’t an excuse, but it is a diagnosis.
And Sunday night in Houston, theLakersdidn’t have the cure.
Their115-96 loss to the Rocketsin Game 4 wasn’t just about missed shots or sloppy turnovers. The reality is that it was about an older team staring down the cost of everything that preceded them to get there.
Less than 48 hours earlier, the Lakers emptied the tanks in theirshocking 112-108 overtime victorythat felt like a series-ending haymaker. But when it came time to lace up the sneakers again, the energy just wasn’t there.
The veteran-laden Lakers put a lot of mileage on the tires in Game 3.
At 41 years old,LeBron Jamesdragged himself through nearly 46 minutes. He hasn’t logged that many minutes in three years. Luke Kennard also flirted with 46 minutes of his own. Marcus Smart logged 40. Rui Hachimura pushed past 43 grueling minutes. The Lakers were in survival mode in Game 3 and it worked, but the body always keeps score.
Both teams got five days of rest before the end of the regular season and the start of Game 1.They got two days off between Games 2 and 3. However, for the first time all series, there was only one day of rest before Game 4. The timing couldn’t have been any worse for the Lakers.
“My recovery was the same as it always is,” said James. “Sleep. Cold tub, ice tub. Nothing changed for me.”
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
