PHOENIX, AZ – Well that didn’t go as expected for Laker Nation. The fans have grown accustomed to seeing their superstars like Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal all step up in big games. That was not the case for LeBron James. The Game 5 loss was not only unexpected for all Lakers fans, but the way they lost looked like they surrendered before it ever got started.
Not to use hyperbole, but in a legacy-defining game where everyone expected James to come out and dominate, it was another star player who outshined The King. Devin Booker was great from start to finish in this game. Booker got off to a blazing start scoring 18 of his game-high 30 points after the first quarter, and his team would never look back.
If the Lakers are eliminated from the playoffs without a whimper, you can expect big changes. In case you haven’t been paying attention since Rob Pelinka got hired as GM, he’s not afraid to shake things up. Actually he seems to thrive on it, sometimes for the worse.
This year’s team is no exception. Pelinka had a great team staring him in the face and seemed to make changes just for the sake of change. The smart money was just running it back, but he made a hard left.
By letting Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee walk, he undoubtedly let go of what was the heart and soul of the team. Those players were significant in the 2020 championship run.
Here’s a little piece of advice to this year’s squad. If you really want to dawn the purple and gold next year, Game 6 is the ultimate audition. So play like your Lakers’ career depends on it, because it just might.
