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News - LA Lakers - JustinG
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1 Team in a Crowded Field
The Lakers are heading towards the finish line, in a season
that is not going to be forgotten for many years, perhaps ever, amongst the
faithful of the purple and gold. The
team that had teetered on semi-contention in recent off-seasons, only to end up
at the bottom of the standings each of the past 3 seasons, will finish first in
the NSL this year. After such an
accomplished season, a team in such uncharted territory might find themselves
overwhelmed with the regular season success, resulting in a flat-footed playoff
outing. These Lakers though, are not
your average team. It is a team compiled
of multiple NSL champions, a 2-time NSL MVP (and arguably the greatest player
in the history of the league) a fan favorite, and long tenured blossoming young
star in Cade Cunningham, and a formidable supporting cast. The sites are set high, championship or bust.
The 2024 NSL Western Conference presents itself as an
all-time NSL gauntlet. The Spurs,
Timberwolves, Jazz, and Pelicans have all positioned themselves for a run at
the title, beefing up their teams as the clock struck midnight at the deadline.
Each team has sacrificed future assets
in one way or another to be here. Beyond
that you’ve got the Rockets, Denver, OKC, and Memphis who can hang with just
about anyone on any given night. There
could very likely be some early round upsets this year in the NSL, as injuries
are biting some teams at the wrong time.
The Wild West could perhaps not be more properly placed on any given entity
as it could be the 2024 NSL Western Conference.
Out East, much of the league is in unison in the belief that
it will be either the Bucks or the Wizards emerging victorious. Both teams have storied pasts, though the Wizards
are the incumbent NSL Eastern Conference Champions. The Bucks led the Eastern Conference all year,
but yielded the #1 spot late, and look to head into the postseason ranked #2
out East. Both teams appear to match up
well on paper, sending out some of the leagues’ most prominent stars in SGA, Devin
Booker, Lebron James, and Paul George, amongst others. The potential Eastern Conference finals matchup
will hit especially close to home for Paul George, who made that run with the
Washington Wizards just 1 year ago.
Philly, Cleveland, and Boston deserve some flowers and
notoriety for my belief that they can similarly get hot on the right night and knock
off just about anyone. A 7-game series
will be hard for any team to steal against Washington or Milwaukee, but with a
proper game plan, who knows.
So, in summary, the Lakers are good, but so is the competition. After years of being the league’s doormat,
they finally decided to get up and punch back.
But was this the wrong year to do so?
Only time will tell, but one thing I can guarantee is, this will be one
of the most exciting NSL playoffs in the history of the league. We’ve never seen these many teams with a
legitimate shot at the title.
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