Can the Lakers move on from the Boston debacle?

THE Los Angeles Lakers faced the Brooklyn Nets after their heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics. That game, specifically that final play in regulation has been dissected to bits. The foul was no longer a matter of debate — it was only the reaction by LeBron James, and how the Lakers fans and the media have made it a circus.

It’s easy to say that bad calls happen many times (TOO many times if you ask me) and every other team will just shrug it off and move on. It’s only the Lakers who overreact. Unfortunately, that is not accurate at all. All teams react strongly when they literally lose a legitimate chance to win the game. It’s just that it’s the Lakers against the Celtics, and Jayson Tatum fouling LeBron James, that drove the basketball world crazy.

Lakers’ critics point out that the Lakers should’ve moved on from the call and focused on winning the game in overtime. Ironically, many of these critics are the same people who say that the Sacramento Kings were robbed in the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals. They keep pointing out Game 6, but forget that there was an entire Game 7 played which the Kings did not win. They glaringly contradicted their own logic.

Missed due to heartbreak?

In the Lakers’ next game, LeBron James and Anthony Davis sat out. The press release is that LeBron had a sore right ankle, and AD had a right foot injury. There was no indication of those in their last game. Nowadays, in the era of load management, you just can’t tell anymore.

Back when Tim Duncan was still playing and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would write “DNP (did not play) — Old” when he rested Timmy, many pointed out that he could just mention any random injury. Well, there you have it.

What was clear for AD and the King is that they were heartbroken. This seemed like a winnable game, since the Brooklyn Nets were still without Kevin Durant. Are the Lakers going to give up the season just because of the Celtics debacle?

Of course not. The Lakers, as with other teams, continue to take calculated risks as they continue to evaluate their lineup. In the Nets game, the focus fell on Russell Westbrook. They may have accepted the fact that they can’t move him in-season, so they want to see how they can use him best. But it’s also a way to amplify his trade value. Also, they want to test drive Rui Hachimura. Just what is he made of? Can they depend on him in the playoffs?

That’s another angle on why the Brow and LeBron sat out. But it’s probably because they haven’t moved on yet.

Just play ball

It’s very difficult to make sense, let alone justify, load management. The sentiment that fans paid good money to see the players, at times, probably just once in a year, is valid. It’s even criminally understated.

But what can we do? Basketball is simply so complicated (irony) that every move has to be part of a grand scheme — or maybe that is just an excuse.

Is it really that much to ask for players with mammoth contracts, already receiving six figures for one game, to play when they are not injured? And when did losing become a winning strategy? I get that when you’re outright tanking, but teams like the Lakers, Celtics, Bucks, Nuggets are all doing it — from teams fighting for playoff hopes to supposedly top contenders.

Call me a simpleton, but I can’t make it make sense. It’s not even a back-to-back game.

PBA Shorts: Magnolia continues to suffer from not having a big man. It was evident against Converge, when they lost even with a stellar debut from their import, Erik McCree. The rumored trade may be reworked. Robert Bolick is still in limbo, and SMC should fight to keep him. But they probably can’t justify keeping him on the bench if they trade him to the “legit” empire teams. I like how imports have the same height, but different game styles. But still, unlimited height is better.