Lakers heavily favored to win NBA crown

By Al S. Mendoza

 

NOBODY can deny it.

Like Noah unstoppably launching his flood-deflecting ark, the Los Angeles Lakers are bound to win this year’s NBA crown.

About time they did.

When was the last time they reigned supreme?

Ten years ago.  In 2010.

That’s when Kobe Bryant was still around, the Laker leader with the “Mamba Shot” that made Los Angeles a three-time champ in a 20-year career in the world’s No. 1 basketball tournament.

Bryant died tragically in a chopper crash in January.  His death now serves as trigger to end the longest title-drought in franchise history.

One “Mamba Shot” was fired by Anthony Davis, whose buzzer-beating three gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets en route to a 4-1 Western Conference victory.

Before Denver, Los Angeles also won 4-1 routs over Portland in the quarters and Houston in the semis to post its 32nd Finals appearance—a feat no team has ever done in the almost eight-decade existence of the league.

Losing just three games, one each against the three teams they had disposed of on their way to Finals, made the Lakers look practically as invincible as Spartacus, if not Russell Crowe in “Gladiator.”

More of Bryant’s “Mamba Shot” stuff could be expected if Thursday’s Game One of the Lakers-Heat title clash won easily by Los Angeles 116-98 is to be the gauge.

In that Finals opener, the Lakers banged home 11 three-pointers in taking a 65-48 margin going into the third quarter, with Davis and LeBron James combining for more than half of the team’s halftime total.

Davis alone finished with a game-high 34 points, becoming the fourth Los Angeles rookie to debut with 30-plus points after George Mikan (42), Magic Johnson (34) and Shaquille O’Neal (46) in that order.

James, who now owns the most number of records in his 17 years in the league, had another double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds in Game One—missing another triple-double by finishing one short of recording 10 assists.

The beauty in James is, while most of his peers struggle to come up with double-digit points consistently, he practically makes it a living registering triple-doubles—in ridiculous regularity at that.

At 35 years of age, James hasn’t shown signs of slowing down.

He has stayed king of the NBA for so long, and looks to sit on his throne a little longer that many enviously, grudgingly, accept—even by his equals, who aren’t that many.

James has won three crowns already—two with Miami and one with Cleveland.

But he got them in the East.  So that, to him now, there is no greater satisfaction than winning also in the West and, in the process, giving Los Angeles its 17th NBA title.

With the fourth ring within sight, James might have even found a kingdom in Los Angeles, considering he has a most dependable ally in Davis helping him to rebound from his injury-caused, disastrous debut as a Laker in 2018.

James saw the fire in Davis’ eye to win Game One, inspiring virtually all the Lakers to contribute in the victory that was neatly wrapped up after a 32-point margin with still 1-1/4 quarters left.

I cannot think of any reason why James and the Lakers would not win Game Two as well, which was scheduled yesterday (Saturday).

Only a toothache, if not a bum stomach, can deny James another crown-carving performance in the remaining seven-game Finals showdown.

Place your bets.

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