Lakers’ jersey change indicates they plan to clinch championship in Game 5

The Los Angeles Lakers may have dropped Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but they seem to be intent on sealing matters in Game 5 on Friday night.

The Lakers will be wearing the “Black Mamba” jerseys in Game 5 of the Finals in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the AP’s Tim Reynolds reported on Wednesday.

The Lakers originally planned to wear the Mamba jerseys in Games 2 and 7 (if necessary) of the series. Now, they have decided to put on the special jerseys for Friday’s game.

The Lakers only wear the jerseys, which were designed by the late Kobe Bryant, on limited occasions. They wore the jerseys on 8/24 in honor of Bryant as a nod to the two jersey numbers the late franchise icon wore during his career. The jersey features a snakeskin print on the outside and has 16 stars on the side panels, representing the Lakers’ 16 NBA championships.

The Lakers have worn the jerseys four times total this postseason and are undefeated when wearing them.

If the Lakers were to lose Game 5, they would not be able to wear the jerseys in Game 6 because the Heat are scheduled to wear their black jerseys that game. But the change to these jerseys implies the Lakers mean business and intend to close out the series while wearing jerseys honoring Bryant. After all, the Lakers dedicated their season to Bryant, so this winning it all in the Mamba jerseys be a fitting end.

Anthony Davis has already said the Lakers “can’t lose” in the Mamba jerseys.

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