The odds remain steep against the defending champs, but Saturday night’s victory fooled those (including a certain columnist) who didn’t see this series going back to Denver.
LOS ANGELES — Early in the first quarter on Saturday night the Lakers’ video board crew put up a montage of clips. It showed the Boston Red Sox’ comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 ALCS (thanks, Dave Roberts), en route to the franchise’s first World Series title in a dozen forevers, and the Kings’ comeback from a 3-0 deficit in 2014 to stun the San Jose Sharks en route to their second Stanley Cup championship in three years.
It was the same video they put up last year, when the Lakers were down 3-0 to Denver. It didn’t propel the home side to a miracle comeback then, because there’s still never been one from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs.
It probably won’t happen this year, either. But the fact we’re qualifying that thought indicates there’s still hope.
Yes, there will be a Game 5, Monday night in Denver. The Lakers didn’t fold, didn’t give away another big lead, didn’t allow the defending champion Nuggets to extend their hex to 12 games. And while a 119-108 victory in a loud and raucous atmosphere in downtown L.A. doesn’t exactly mean that the worst is over, it’s a stumbling block to overcome for the moment.
Yes, the Lakers did lose the third quarter for the fourth time in the four games of this series. But it was only by two points, and they entered the second half with a 13-point lead, led going into the fourth by 11 and maintained enough of a cushion that even when the visitors chopped the lead to single digits in the final two minutes, the terror was more imaginary than real.
A 25-point, 23-rebound game by Anthony Davis and a bounce-back game by D’Angelo Russell (21 points, 4 for 8 from 3-point range, along with LeBron James’ 30-point night, covered up any flaws for one night and had the Lakers dreaming of that impossible dream.
Or else wondering why they hadn’t done more of this before now against the Nuggets.
“We’ve had great stretches against this team,” said Coach Darvin Ham, who ditched the “embattled” tag for at least one more night. “We never could quite put together a complete game, whether it’s a whole quarter or a stretch of seven or eight minutes that we’ve just kind of dropped the ball.
“But tonight … our competitiveness never waned. Our togetherness never waned. Total selflessness.”
And so much for all of those people who wrote them off Thursday night, and proclaimed that this best-of-seven series wasn’t coming back to Denver. (Ahem. Guilty as charged.)
“Beautiful day to be alive in order to stay alive,” Ham said. “That was the message yesterday and the message (Saturday): Just win one game.”
Has there developed a mental toughness, or at least some thick skins, through all of the things this group has endured over the last two seasons dating to last season’s 2-10 start to Ham’s debut campaign as coach. Injuries, battling from behind in the standings, bringing in new players and trying to integrate them into the core … there has been a lot to unpack, and it can be argued that these Lakers have developed a mentality that allows them to function in desperate times.
Now that they’ve shown themselves they can actually beat the defending champs … well, let’s not get carried away yet and determine that the trickle is about to become a flood.
“We get another opportunity to go play one more game,” said guard Austin Reaves, who had 21 points and six assists. “And if we win we come back and play another one. And, you know, we keep moving from there.
“Obviously we wish we’d won four-zero. The odds aren’t stacked in our favor. But any time we can keep ourself floating above water, you know, we have an opportunity to go and do something special. We’re ready for the challenge.”
Before the game, when all things seemed possible to those who actually believed, Ham talked of seeing the glass half full, and how that enables one to deal with the stress of a playoff series that seems to be going awry.
“I think the biggest thing is, you embrace the joy of competition,” he said. “You don’t struggle with the stress of fear. It’s basketball. As long as you go out and put your best foot forward, you can live with any result. Do all you can, each and every possession, to have to make that possession go in your favor. And, you just have to embrace the moment.
“Man, it’s a beautiful thing to be a part of this league, this franchise, being in the playoffs, the postseason. You have to embrace the moment and have joy with it. You know, just find the joy in the competition. Trust your teammates. Be with your teammates. Be a unit and have fun with it. The magnitude of everything, you can get caught up in that and forget to compete. So it’s just, the situation is what it is. Circumstances are what they are.”
And now they’re a little better. And consider this, as we go back to that video montage: The Red Sox came all the way back against the New York Yankees in 2004. The Kings pulled off their upset of the Sharks in 2014.
It’s now 2024. The odds remain steep, but until it’s over anything’s possible. And, if you’re making plans for the week, a potential Game 6 in L.A. would be Thursday night.
jalexander@scng.com
