Los Angeles Lakers clinch the top seed in the Western Conference
Fifty-one wins, and 15 losses. That record now creates a question. Are the Los Angeles Lakers on the highest throne in the Western Conference?
Kings build empires, but Anthony Davis seems to be building a statistical empire on his own after a 42-point performance in a bounce-back game against the Utah Jazz where the Lakers took an eight-point 116-108 win Monday night.
Anthony Davis is in his own league. Aside from LeBron James, Davis might be, if not, the most athletic and elite player listed at 6-foot-11. It doesn’t matter which direction he scores. He can score in a multitude of ways. But AD’s main focus is “team-first.”
It’s the Anthony Davis show for the Los Angeles Lakers
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Davis and LeBron have assembled a special nucleus in LA; the only detriment at this point, what if nobody else follows the blueprint. The blueprint of what?
The blueprint of championship basketball. It’s something LeBron James learned initially during his incipient stages with Cleveland. The only difference now is that he has help. Without AD, the Lakers don’t have a legitimate second scoring option. This isn’t to discredit anyone else on the Lakers bench, but if Davis doesn’t show up each night, those second option points won’t appear.
James knows this. He and AD are analogous to brotherly love. They both have the same goal. Winning an NBA championship as a tandem, and, if not already, become the best NBA tandem in history to ever run the floor together. It could happen, and from what we’ve seen in the restart opening games, that prediction isn’t too far from a historical plaque.
In essence, it’s the AD show. His contributions offensively have put the Lakers in championship position. It’s not because of the record, it’s because Davis understands how imperative his role is. If LeBron doesn’t show up, he has to compensate for the void.
If this isn’t the best tandem that the NBA has ever seen, there’s still time to prove it. Ultimately, the Lakers’ reached their goal. The goal of reaching the highest throne in the Western Conference. Time is the most precious thing. That time is now, and even if it’s later on in the season, the AD show has premiered.