With the Lakers' two biggest play-off opponents, the Pelicans and Spurs, winning successively, the Suns are all the main players returning to play the Lakers in James' absence, and a wave of the third quarter will crush the Lakers, completely extinguishing their belief in returning to the playoffs, and also allowing the Lakers to be swept out by the Suns this season.
It also means that this is the first playoff game without James in the past decade, james's era is over, and new players are officially on the job. If the Lakers want to get that very precious play-off ticket, the Suns this level is a hurdle they must pass, but unfortunately the Suns, Pelicans, Nuggets and Spurs did not give them a chance, the Suns clearly do not want the Lakers to enter the playoffs to disrupt, the Nuggets look like deliberately releasing water to lose to the Spurs, indirectly affecting the Lakers' promotion through loss.
In fact, the Lakers encountered a very big locker room contradiction problem at the beginning of the new season, and Davis and Howard even openly moved on the home bench. Subsequently, there were all kinds of information coming out, players and coaches were discordant, players and management were discordant, management and coaching concepts clashed, in short, all kinds of discord news. With the Lakers officially swept out, head coach Vogel made a showdown public, saying in an interview that he was very frustrated and disappointed with many of the Lakers' fans and management and the Bass family.
Vogel is the Lakers' championship coach, but this season has suffered huge doubts, especially lakers fans are more critical of him, it is clear that Vogel has become the team's poor record of the pot man. As early as a few days ago, the media broke the news that the Lakers had found a replacement for Vogel, and I think Vogel must have gotten this news long ago, otherwise he would not have commented on the management in public. Vogel, who endured for a whole season, vented all his dissatisfaction and anger in his heart these days, and it is estimated that he will not meet with the management, but choose to leave directly.
It is clear that the Lakers will experience major turmoil this offseason, at least half of the team will leave, and the Lakers management also needs to stand up to the media and fans at this time to explain why the four 75 stars lost so badly.