LOS ANGELES – With a stoic expression and subdued tone, LeBron James showcased the conflicting feelings that surround the Lakers’ current circumstances.
They labored through a 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday because of the defending NBA champion’s superior depth. They still made the game competitive because of their unyielding fight.
That left the Lakers’ star and the entire organization nursing conflicting feelings about the state of the franchise.
“I’m not angry or disappointed,” James said. “Obviously, you’re disappointed with the simple fact that you’re down 3-0. But we still got life. That’s all you can ask for. We have to be much better on Monday.”
Then, the Lakers will host Game 4 against the Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Never in NBA history has any team ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit. The Lakers became the latest team to avoid such a scenario by beating the Houston Rockets in six games after initially holding a 3-0 first-round series lead. The Lakers have experienced the vast difference in playing without Luka Dončić against the Rockets and the Thunder.
Against the Rockets: the Lakers took advantage of a young team that struggled with inconsistent play and decision making while nursing various injuries with Kevin Durant. Against the Thunder: the Lakers have realized that hustle and adjustments do little against a team that virtually lacks any weaknesses.
“The situation sucks. But that doesn’t give us a license to quit,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves said. “We got to come in here and compete. We owe the organization that. we owe the fans that. we’ll come in Monday and play as hard as we can.”
The Lakers deserve credit for playing as hard as they can. For three games, they have fought without their star player. They have competed even through shooting slumps. They have played through frustration with the officiating. But for every improvement, another issue arises.
The Lakers earned more free-throws in Game 3 (25) than Game 2 (21), while the Thunder only had 10 attempts. But James only had four free-throw attempts, and he took his first trip to the line in the fourth quarter. The Lakers sent enough double teams to limit
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 23 points on 7-for-20 shooting. But Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell responded with a career-high 24 points on a 10-for-14 clip.
The Lakers shot 14-for-30 from 3-point range, but Reaves struggled with his efficiency for the second time in three games with only 17 points while shooting 5-for-13 from the field and 1-for-5 from deep.
The Lakers held a 59-57 half-time lead by leaning on their ball movement, improved shooting and hustle. But then the Thunder put on an unstoppable clinic in the third quarter (33-20) and fourth quarter (41-29) by tapping into their offensive depth and defensive versatility. Once again, the Lakers struggled against the Thunder on the boards (43-37) and with their ball handling (16 points).
“They’ve kicked our ass for three straight games. They’re an incredible basketball team, ,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We’ve got to be better. But I’m not giving up on the series. We’re going to try to win on Monday. We’re going to try to extend the series. We’re going to try to take this thing back at OKC.”
How do the Lakers do that?
Lakers guard Luke Kennard suggested the team will address solutions over practice and film on Sunday and can reconvene better at halftimes. Yet, the Thunder have proven that they can dismantle most plans. James observed the team lacked the necessary “energy” and “effort” to open the third quarter. Yet, the Thunder have executed better even when the Lakers have played out their best. The Lakers concede they would love to welcome Dončić’s return, but he told reporters this week that doctors projected an eight-week return when he suffered a Grade 2 strained left hamstring five weeks ago. Besides, the Lakers still trailed by 31 points before Dončić’ suffered the injury against OKC on April 2.
“Luka is over there. We hear him. He’s talking to us a little bit, ” Kennard said. “When you have the league’s leading scorer out there, if he was, it definitely changes the dynamic of a team. We know that. Obviously we miss him. And we know that he’s working his butt off right now. That’s all that he’s been putting the time in. We that he’s trying really hard. He would definitely change it for us. But right now he wasn’t out there.”
All of which gives the 41-year-old James the biggest challenge of his 23-year NBA career. Even more than when he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals. Even when he faced a Warriors team with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala in 2017 and 2018. Even when he helped the Lakers win the 2020 NBA title in a campus bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pretty damn good from top to bottom,” James said of the Thunder. “They don’t let their foot off the gas.”
James declined to say how the Thunder compare to those Warriors teams or even the ‘90s Chicago Bulls as Redick did recently. Still, James’ body language appeared self-explanatory as he sat by his locker and processed what awaits.
“Everything and more to beat a team like this,” James said. “We have to be at our best on Monday.”
