Having lost to the Pelicans in two consecutive key qualifying battles and being swept by the Pelicans this season, the Lakers are likely to miss the playoffs. In fact, as early as last season, the Lakers also reached the playoffs through the playoffs, thus exiting the first round. However, it seems that since last season, the Lakers have been in a quagmire, but this season it is becoming more and more difficult for the Lakers to enter the playoffs. At the same time, the US media listed 5 times in the history of the Lakers that they did not enter the playoffs. After all, for this big team, missing the playoffs is rare.
First, the 1957-58 season
In the 1957 offseason, the Lakers sent Outreach, exchanging five role players from the Rochester Royals (the predecessor of the Kings). As a result, this season, the Lakers only won 19 and lost 53, which is also the first time the Lakers have been kicked out of the playoffs since joining the NBA in 1948.
However, the absence from the playoffs did allow the Lakers to select Elgin Baylor in 1958, when the Lakers were in financial difficulties. Lakers owner Bob Short at one point had the idea of selling the team. Fortunately, in the end, Baylor saved the Lakers, and led the team back to the playoffs in the first season of joining, and all the way to the Finals. In 1960, Jerry West also joined the Lakers, who then ushered in a glorious era.
Second, the 1974-1976 season
After the 2973 Finals, The Lakers saw Chamberlain fade out, and West announced his retirement in 1973-74. In the next two seasons, the Lakers had a dismal record, and in the 2974-75 season, the Lakers only won 30 wins and 52 losses, 17 games less than the previous season, and missed the playoffs.
In the 1975–76 season, Abdul-Abdul-Jabbar also did not lead the team back to the playoffs. However, by the 1976-77 season, the Lakers returned to the playoffs, and in 1979, the Magicians joined, and then the Lakers began a new chapter again.
Third, the 1993-94 season
After the Magic retired, the Lakers stopped in the first round of the playoffs for two consecutive years. In the 1993–94 season, James Worthy also entered the final season of his career. In the 1993-94 season, although the Lakers blew a youth storm in the league, the team only achieved 33 wins and 49 losses, missing the playoffs. However, the Lakers returned to the playoffs in the 1994-95 season, and in 1996, the Lakers formed an "OK" group, and the team entered a new era.
Fourth, the 2004-05 season
After the 2004 Lakers F4 combination broke up in the finals, the Lakers dynasty officially disintegrated. However, in the 2004-05 season, the Lakers experienced a coaching change storm, and Kobe, Caron Butler and Odom played the seventh in the league in offensive efficiency, but the defense was the first in the league. However, in the following season, Kobe Bryant led the Lakers back to the playoffs, until the addition of Gasol in 2008, and the Lakers won two championships in three years.
Fifth, the 2013-19 season
At the end of Bryant's career and during Bryant's retirement, the Lakers missed the playoffs for 6 seasons. Therefore, this is also the darkest period in the history of the Lakers, although the Lakers have won the high pick for 4 consecutive years, but the Lakers have not been able to enter the playoffs.
However, after James and Thick Brow have joined the Lakers, they helped the Lakers regain the championship after 10 years in 2020.