How tf did this squad win so many games to make it to the WCF
February 26, 2026
How tf did this squad win so many games to make it to the WCF
43 comments
Because they wanted to
Bron, AD, AR & Dennis were playing out of their minds and DLo and Rui were hitting their 3s.
Anthony Davis is as soft as charmin but dude can play D. I credit him a lot for those years.
Lebron and AD were amazing during that run. Reaves played well and DLo was solid until the Nuggets. And schroder>>>>>vincent
AD defense is being missed
The playoffs matchup that year heavily favored this team.
They hit a pretty good stride post all star and rode it into the offs. Memphis was a favorable matchup as well.
Some favorable matchups and timely hot hands.
That was the last chance of LeBron and Davis to win another title, but then Dlo happened with the worst playoff performance by a Laker player since 1980 when I started tracking
AD
LeBron was still LeBron fucking James back then and AD when he could string 10 straight games was still a force.
That’s the difference between having 2 stars that complement each other vs 3 stars who only play on one end of the court and even there get in each other’s way.
Troy Brown gave us solid minutes that season and gets my props, but he prob belongs overseas where he’s been playing
BEFORE THE DEN SERIES…
-AD was such a monster 2 way in the Memphis and GS series.
-All our guards were either great or average at the least, Dennis is a playoff rider kinda guy.
-Bron was still dominant
– vando’s best defensive szn
Man it seems like just yesterday
Because we actually had defense (and one that was relatively healthy)
Zero memory on some people.
This is why AD is underrated. He was the entire defense during that run.
The coaching genius of Darvin Ham.
Defense takes you far and makes you more likely to punch above your weight. AD himself was a whole defensive system that really was very hard to figure out. Also somehow I think the role players on this roster were more solid.
LeBron and AD were still arguably the best duo in the league at that time. And also that’s really a pretty good defensive team. Vando, Dennis, AD, and playoff LeBron were all very good defenders. AR was able to play solid defense back then when he was spending less energy on offense. Troy Brown was an average defender.
Even Darvin Ham did a good job coaching in those first two series, he just completely shat himself in the Denver series trying to roll out that small ball lineup against a big ass Nuggets team. Not that a different starting lineup would’ve swung the outcome of the series anyway.
TF you mean? lol a younger and hungrier LeBron a healthy AD and an up and coming Reaves? Role players stepping up here and there. That’s all you need. They could have won it all if it weren’t for damn Denver.
Anthony Davis as usual holds the shit out of the Lakers Defense, and Dlo was more make than miss. Reaves was breaking out and Lebron James is still top 10 Elite in that year.
Bron ane AD were elite, Reaves was great, D’lo was good until the Nuggets series, Rui was a sniper, Dennis was a good backup pg, and Vando was excellent defensively.
We basically had a good supporting cast around Bron and AD, who were both top 10 players at that time.
AD was soo dominant on defence. Gsw and Memphis were scared to drive in the paint
Then you had Lonnie Walker IV popping off against Warriors. One of my favorite moments from that year
No clue, but even I bought in. Went to the NBA cup finals and every playoff home game. I can tell you one thing though, it sure as hell wasn’t coach “pockets” ham.
Because our top 8 guys were great/elite and thats all you need in the playoffs
Chemistry
Obviously coach of the year performerance from darvin ham
It may not seem like it because Lebron is Lebron but he’s nowhere near the level he was that 22-23 season when he was 38 years old.
41 year old Lebron is still really good but 38 years old Lebron could single handedly carry a team into a deep post season run.
If only Darvin Ham knows how to draw up plays and call some timeouts then we would’ve to the NBA Finals that year
anthony davis was a two-way player unlike austin reaves and luka
They made timely shots when it was needed. The current team isn’t doing that anymore like they did at the beginning of the season.
Defence, effort and health – and a bit of luck!
I miss AD.
Man if only DLO didn’t shut the bed against the Nuggets maybe we steal a ring that year…
Best defensive guy went from AD to Smart. No down low presence what so ever.
West was worse
man I think a lot will fail to realize —
– we were trash coming into this szn. We still had Russ , Dennis, Troy Brown Jr, Thomas Bryant and Pat Bev as a key part of the rotation. AD missed significant time bc of a foot injury.
– Vando & AD in the back court were a top 5 defense in the league
– d lo, rui, Beasley gave us great offense off the bench and some nights starting
– Bron was fantastic bc there weren’t any injuries as he has now
– mo was a clear non factor for us. He wasn’t amazing for us and didn’t have that drive / wanting to fit a role.
– Austin had his breakout szn. He was behind AD , Bron and Dennis. When AD missed significant Time and Schroeder had a lot of ups and down. This gave Austin the chance to have a significant breakout. Fans chanted MVP when he had a 35 point game vs the Magic.
For it all to come crumbling down with Darvin Ham messing up the rotation and not knowing his teams strengths. Good times 🙁
Defense
Lebron was Great on that run and AD was awesome as well. The nuggets sweep them but every game was freakin’ close and could have went either way. Bron and AD would have gotten another chip if they beat the nuggets in my opinion.
AD shut down the Warriors and Grizzlies by himself.
I’m a diehard Lakers fan but they ran through a Grizzlies team on their 3rd and 4th string center and a Warriors team that gets dominated by AD yearly just out of pure size. The team was good but they were very lucky they matched up against teams that were free eats for centers.
Ngl I miss AD
All were playing out of their minds and NBA was different then..
43 comments
Because they wanted to
Bron, AD, AR & Dennis were playing out of their minds and DLo and Rui were hitting their 3s.
Anthony Davis is as soft as charmin but dude can play D. I credit him a lot for those years.
Lebron and AD were amazing during that run. Reaves played well and DLo was solid until the Nuggets. And schroder>>>>>vincent
AD defense is being missed
The playoffs matchup that year heavily favored this team.
They hit a pretty good stride post all star and rode it into the offs. Memphis was a favorable matchup as well.
Some favorable matchups and timely hot hands.
That was the last chance of LeBron and Davis to win another title, but then Dlo happened with the worst playoff performance by a Laker player since 1980 when I started tracking
AD
LeBron was still LeBron fucking James back then and AD when he could string 10 straight games was still a force.
That’s the difference between having 2 stars that complement each other vs 3 stars who only play on one end of the court and even there get in each other’s way.
Troy Brown gave us solid minutes that season and gets my props, but he prob belongs overseas where he’s been playing
BEFORE THE DEN SERIES…
-AD was such a monster 2 way in the Memphis and GS series.
-All our guards were either great or average at the least, Dennis is a playoff rider kinda guy.
-Bron was still dominant
– vando’s best defensive szn
Man it seems like just yesterday
Because we actually had defense (and one that was relatively healthy)
Zero memory on some people.
This is why AD is underrated. He was the entire defense during that run.
The coaching genius of Darvin Ham.
Defense takes you far and makes you more likely to punch above your weight. AD himself was a whole defensive system that really was very hard to figure out. Also somehow I think the role players on this roster were more solid.
LeBron and AD were still arguably the best duo in the league at that time. And also that’s really a pretty good defensive team. Vando, Dennis, AD, and playoff LeBron were all very good defenders. AR was able to play solid defense back then when he was spending less energy on offense. Troy Brown was an average defender.
Even Darvin Ham did a good job coaching in those first two series, he just completely shat himself in the Denver series trying to roll out that small ball lineup against a big ass Nuggets team. Not that a different starting lineup would’ve swung the outcome of the series anyway.
TF you mean? lol a younger and hungrier LeBron a healthy AD and an up and coming Reaves? Role players stepping up here and there. That’s all you need. They could have won it all if it weren’t for damn Denver.
Anthony Davis as usual holds the shit out of the Lakers Defense, and Dlo was more make than miss. Reaves was breaking out and Lebron James is still top 10 Elite in that year.
Bron ane AD were elite, Reaves was great, D’lo was good until the Nuggets series, Rui was a sniper, Dennis was a good backup pg, and Vando was excellent defensively.
We basically had a good supporting cast around Bron and AD, who were both top 10 players at that time.
AD was soo dominant on defence. Gsw and Memphis were scared to drive in the paint
Then you had Lonnie Walker IV popping off against Warriors. One of my favorite moments from that year
No clue, but even I bought in. Went to the NBA cup finals and every playoff home game. I can tell you one thing though, it sure as hell wasn’t coach “pockets” ham.
Because our top 8 guys were great/elite and thats all you need in the playoffs
Chemistry
Obviously coach of the year performerance from darvin ham
It may not seem like it because Lebron is Lebron but he’s nowhere near the level he was that 22-23 season when he was 38 years old.
41 year old Lebron is still really good but 38 years old Lebron could single handedly carry a team into a deep post season run.
If only Darvin Ham knows how to draw up plays and call some timeouts then we would’ve to the NBA Finals that year
anthony davis was a two-way player unlike austin reaves and luka
They made timely shots when it was needed. The current team isn’t doing that anymore like they did at the beginning of the season.
Defence, effort and health – and a bit of luck!
I miss AD.
Man if only DLO didn’t shut the bed against the Nuggets maybe we steal a ring that year…
Best defensive guy went from AD to Smart. No down low presence what so ever.
West was worse
man I think a lot will fail to realize —
– we were trash coming into this szn. We still had Russ , Dennis, Troy Brown Jr, Thomas Bryant and Pat Bev as a key part of the rotation. AD missed significant time bc of a foot injury.
– Vando & AD in the back court were a top 5 defense in the league
– d lo, rui, Beasley gave us great offense off the bench and some nights starting
– Bron was fantastic bc there weren’t any injuries as he has now
– mo was a clear non factor for us. He wasn’t amazing for us and didn’t have that drive / wanting to fit a role.
– Austin had his breakout szn. He was behind AD , Bron and Dennis. When AD missed significant Time and Schroeder had a lot of ups and down. This gave Austin the chance to have a significant breakout. Fans chanted MVP when he had a 35 point game vs the Magic.
For it all to come crumbling down with Darvin Ham messing up the rotation and not knowing his teams strengths. Good times 🙁
Defense
Lebron was Great on that run and AD was awesome as well. The nuggets sweep them but every game was freakin’ close and could have went either way. Bron and AD would have gotten another chip if they beat the nuggets in my opinion.
AD shut down the Warriors and Grizzlies by himself.
I’m a diehard Lakers fan but they ran through a Grizzlies team on their 3rd and 4th string center and a Warriors team that gets dominated by AD yearly just out of pure size. The team was good but they were very lucky they matched up against teams that were free eats for centers.
Ngl I miss AD
All were playing out of their minds and NBA was different then..