The Lakers are done.
They know it. We know.
They trail their second-round playoff series against the reigning champion Thunder 3-0, a deficit no NBA team has ever recovered from. So, what’s left to play for in Game 4?
For the Lakers, there’s pride on the line. They don’t want to be swept away.
LeBron James, who is still undecided about his future, doesn’t want his career to end in a bad way.
Austin Reaves, who is a free agent looming this summer after he is expected to decline his $14.9 million player option for next season, wants to leave a strong impression as he tries to secure a lucrative contract.
Lakers coach JJ Redick has found a team that will fight for the rest of the season. They will not let them drop the rope now.
“I still think we can beat them,” Redick said after the Lakers’ 131-108 loss in Game 3.
Those words sounded hollow.
Screaming at a rock concert. Breathing underwater.
The Lakers have no chance of making history. Not against the Thunder, who are young and deep and make them look like an old Chevy out of gas in the second half of games, where they were outscored by an average of 18 points.
But don’t expect the Lakers to accept a sweep. Not this group. If we have learned anything about them this season, it is that they have many battles.
When they hit the walls, they take out their teeth.
While the Big 3 is a bad offense, James accepted to be the team’s third option, an unprecedented demotion for a player of his caliber who could still lead the team.
That sacrifice ended their offense, leading the Lakers to go 16-2 this spring.
Considered a potential contender, they shockingly lost Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Reaves (oblique) on April 2. After that, they weren’t even expected to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Except for their two best players, who scored a combined 60 points per game.
How do they react?
They went ahead 3-0 to the Rockets. James, 41, donned his Superman cape. Luke Kennard has shown that he is more than a 3-point specialist. Marcus Smart was put in a defensive clinic. From top to bottom, everyone played their part as they beat Houston in six games.
But all those efforts just got a date with someone completely out of their league.
Against the Thunder, they were facing a team they lost to by an average of 29 points in one game last season. There was no Doncic. But they still fight. They kept the games close in the first half before collapsing.
Now they face their toughest challenge yet.
How will they react when things are hopeless?
If the Lakers win Game 4, they will automatically buy themselves a trip to Oklahoma City, where they will play the league’s top team in one of the toughest arenas. They will be delaying the inevitable. They will be prolonging their suffering.
But even so, expect the Lakers to fight.
James wasn’t the greatest player to ever wave the white flag when things got tough.
Reaves didn’t rise too far from undrafted to star by rolling when the going got tough.
Would it be embarrassing if the Lakers were swept? Not really. Not against this historically great Thunder team that seems to have an endless army of new legs.
What would be a shame is if they roll over on Monday.
“Obviously, the situation is dire,” Reaves said. “But that doesn’t give us permission to quit. We have to come in here and compete. We owe it to the organization. We owe it to each other. We owe it to our fans. So we’re going to come here on Monday and play as hard as we can.”
Expect the Lakers to come out swinging.
How slim are their chances?
Teams trailing 3-0 in a playoff series are 0-161 all-time.
Against the Thunder, who Redick calls “the greatest team ever,” any undeserved opportunity they have recedes into something beyond the comprehension of the human brain.
The Lakers may turn in the wind.
But they will still swing.
Otherwise that would be a really sad end to such a heart-filled season.
