LA Lakers: ‘A decade of disaster’

Despite reaching the 2023-24 Playoffs through the backdoor marked ‘Play-in tournament’, Lakers fans must have feared the worst when the realised that they would face the team that has become their nemesis in recent times, Denver Nuggets.

The Colorado side have now assembled an eleven game unbeaten run against the Los Angeles team as the Lakers stand on the brink of elimination from the Playoffs trailing 3-0 in the series.

The Lakers held a 20 point lead in Game 2 in Denver and lead by 12 points in Game 3 in Los Angeles but on both occasions saw how their opponents dug deep to secure the win.

On Thursday, the seventh-seeded Lakers were left feeling frustrated, outmanned - and occasionally confused, according to Lakers star Anthony Davis, who said the Lakers sometimes don’t know what they’re doing when faced with Denver’s offensive versatility.

A first round elimination would heap more pressure of the franchise that has underperformed in recent years despite generating the second highest revenue levels in the league.

Despite being the joint top most successful team in NBA history with 17 championships, the past decade have been lean years for Lakers fans in terms of success with just the 2020 title win to boast about. The rest of the decade have seen disappointing Playoff runs at best and for six of the past ten years, the Lakers have even failed to qualify for postseason.

This succinct intro from the LA Times condenses succinctly the problem with the Lakers over the years....

‘The Lakers are inspired. The Lakers are insipid.

The Lakers are majestic. The Lakers are mediocre.

The Lakers are … who knows what they are?’

LA Lakers: postseason results in the past decade