Notwithstanding the upset loss suffered at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers remain as among the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals and win the 2020 crown. In recent days, the LA club conquered two of the strongest title contenders in the league, indicating that the Lakers are gathering momentum in the ongoing campaign.
The victories picked up against the Bucks and the Clippers signified that the Lakers' title contention is not losing steam. The wins registered against the rival teams headlined by the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo indicated that LeBron James and company are waging a war they intend to win.
There is no stopping the crew from lifting that Larry O'Brien again at the end of the campaign, which the Lakers last did 10 years ago with the late Kobe Bryant leading the team. Now on the horizon is the chance of becoming champions again and according to Clutch Points, the reasons are aplenty for the Lakers to add NBA title No. 17 and it will only be the start.
One is that the club is back on its two feet again. It started with the arrival of James last season and Anthony Davis was added in the summer. The two bannering the club was tested in the regular season and they delivered.
In recent games, James and Davis helped the Lakers avenged the humiliation of bowing to the Bucks and the Clipper in previous meetings. The victories proved the Lakers can win against these foes and they can do so convincingly.
It is apparent as well that the Lakers have made vast improvements that would limit the scoring potential of their opponents. At the forefront of this mission is AD and ably aided by JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. Such a defensive wall has been acknowledged as the most fearsome now in the league.
And perhaps the most important element that allowed the Lakers to claim and an early ticket to the playoffs, on the account of the team's best conference record in the West, is that killer instinct. That is the determination to win, which motivates the team to play extra hard basketball until the last second expires.
From the first unit down to the bench players, the desire to win among the Lakers has been notably fired from Day One. There were times when the game is all but won and James and Davis have been pulled out but the crew left on the court displayed the same intensity as if the headliners are the ones playing.
It helped too on the Lakers' cause that on many games, even away from the home court, it felt like playing at home as the team enjoys an advantage even outside of Staples Center, according to Silver Screen & Roll. And that is not a surprise at all as the Lakers can be declared as among the most popular sports team in the world.
Specifically in the ongoing season, where the expectation is high that James and AD will lead the Lakers to a successful campaign, there were many instances that every game played by the team has turned into a home game, the report said.
