Svetislav Pesic once described the North American professional league NBA as a “circus”. The 72-year-old is considered by many to be the best European coach, is currently responsible for the Serbian selection and thinks that the world’s best glittering league offers too much show and too little craftsmanship. Now, to stay with the image, the circus has already lost its attraction before the decisive phase of the tour: After the 110:121 defeat against the Phoenix Suns, the seventh in a row, the 17-time champions Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated . But not from the playoffs, for the glamor Californians the championship is over three games before the end of the main round. The top-class ensemble around superstar LeBron James, who had to follow the disaster from the bench because of an ankle injury, can no longer even reach tenth place in the Western Conference, which still has a chance of a ticket in the so-called play-in tournament knockout round would have offered.
This failure is particularly disgraceful because the Lakers went into the season with a clear mission to win the championship. For which a star ensemble was put together around the already 37-year-old James, similar to the legendary Big Three – when James, together with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, twice won the NBA title for Miami in 2012 and 2013. But with Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, the plan didn’t work out, the three top players were rarely able to intervene together. Davis, 29, was often injured like James, and they only played 22 games together. Westbrook, also not the youngest at the age of 33, was rarely able to show his outstanding scoring and playmaking skills, he often lacked the athleticism and dynamism that had made his game so exceptional in previous years.
After the disaster, everything has to be questioned at the Lakers, especially personnel policy
In addition to bad luck with injuries, the Lakers suffered from a corona outbreak in the team in December, and the rest of the squad was too weak overall due to the three extremely expensive protagonists and revealed major weaknesses, especially on the defensive. In the discipline that is less suitable for the show than for success – and thus plays a comparatively subordinate role in comparison to European basketball in the NBA.
The golden boy was injured: LeBron James congratulates Devin Booker from the Suns.
(Photo: Christian Petersen/AFP)
None of this can be used as an excuse for such a failure, especially since the competition also had to struggle with similar problems. Nevertheless, coach Frank Vogel praised the fighting spirit of his highly paid squad. Above all, Westbrook with 28 points and Davis (21) would have braced themselves against the defeat, but after halftime (58:63) they too went down with their colleagues.
Vogel’s coaching job, who celebrated the championship with the Lakers two years ago in the Orlando bubble, should still be seriously questioned, the team is facing a change and it is difficult to imagine that he will be allowed to accompany him. The squad is too old, nine players are over 30, the personnel policy of the past few seasons must be intensively questioned.
At least LeBron James showed himself to be a good loser, with gold-colored sunglasses and even more precious metal on his neck and arms, he congratulated his colleague Devin Booker, who was the best player in the Suns with 32 points.