The Los Angeles Lakers have lost three straight games to fall back to .500 on the year. Though they have not even hit the halfway point in their season, you could make the argument that the Lakers have mathematically eliminated themselves from championship contention.
The Lakers are now 16-16 following their blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. That is not good news for LeBron James and company. According to Elias Sports Bureau, no NBA champion has ever been .500 or worse more than 20 games into the regular season.
After their loss to the Suns on Tuesday, the Lakers are 16-16 this season.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no NBA champion has been .500 or worse more than 20 games into a season. pic.twitter.com/m9PmNBezJi
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 22, 2021
They say there’s a first time for everything, but it’s hard to feel good about the current state of the Lakers. Their roster is old, as we knew. They’ve had injury issues, and L.A.’s front office may already been looking to give up on the Russell Westbrook experiment.
If the Lakers want to cling to hope, they can always point to the 1977-78 Seattle SuperSonics. That team started the year 5-17 before reaching Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Things have gone so poorly for the Lakers and their new “Big 3” that we’re starting to hear trade speculation involving LeBron. Very few people expect them to contend for a title, and we now have a better idea of just how unlikely it is to happen.
Photo: Nov 28, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts against the Detroit Pistons in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
