No matter what happens from here on, the Lakers will look back to that fateful match in the middle of March. They were rolling then, owners of a four-outing streak that gave them two times as many wins as losses. And then acknowledged leader LeBron James suffered a freak injury in the second quarter. The high right ankle sprain ruined his Sunday and plenty more days after; so severe was its negative effect on his fitness that it sidelined him for 27 of their last 31 games, during which time they went 14-17 and limped to seventh place in the Western Conference.
The good news is that James appears ready and locked in, the scare he experienced in the Lakers鈥 finale the other day notwithstanding. In the fourth quarter of an ultimately meaningless victory against the Pelicans, he stepped on the foot of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and seemed to have aggravated his injury. Out he immediately went, and fans expected the worst. He鈥檚 no longer a spring chicken, after all; to the contrary, he鈥檚 an old 36 coming off the worst injury of his 20-year career. As things turned out, there was little reason to worry. As he noted in the aftermath, 鈥淚鈥檒l be fine.鈥
For the Lakers to walk the talk, James will need to be more than fine. No eventual champions have come from as low a seeding as seventh, and they鈥檒l just as likely implode as cap an unprecedented run for the hardware. Which is to say his contributions on and off the court are critical to their success. And if they鈥檙e exuding confidence that borders on the unrealistic, it鈥檚 because he knows how to win, period. And the competition knows, too; it鈥檚 why the Clippers shied away from the opportunity to improve their standing to third, and why the Nuggets put up no resistance against the Blazers, who secured the sixth spot as a result.
Will the Lakers defy the odds and manage to retain the Larry O鈥橞rien Trophy? Only time will tell. One thing鈥檚 sure in any case; they鈥檙e complete and cocksure. If they lose, it won鈥檛 be because they beat themselves. Not with James locked in, and not with those around him following his lead.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
