The Los Angeles Lakers may have picked up a 122-109 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night, but for some, it’s too little, too late.
At 29-37, the Lakers hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. They are 2.5 games up over the looming New Orleans Pelicans and just 3.5 games away from being on the outside looking in.
It’s been a rough year for LeBron James & Co., and some are already supposedly dreaming of beach vacations and mimosas for breakfast.
Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports that many Lakers players and even more staffers are counting the minutes until the season ends. In their minds, the misery will soon come to an end.
“At least there’s only a month left,” Woike claims to hear repeatedly from some with the Lakers, in one form or fashion.
Still, head coach Frank Vogel continues to press forward and attempt to rally his players.
“The mindset with our group has always been, ‘Through these struggles, can we be the team that catches fire down the stretch?’ Vogel told reporters on Wednesday. “And if you look at those pieces, that possibility is real. So we have to push through it.”
They’ll certainly need to catch fire if they wish to make and subsequently compete in the playoffs. But perhaps more importantly, the Lakers will need to begin stacking victories in an effort to revitalize some of their players and staffers who have, apparently, already mentally packed it in.
