History and hindsight made it somewhat difficult to contextualize what the Lakers accomplished last winter, the team raised a trophy and hung a banner after winning the NBA. first in-season tournament championship
On the one hand, only the Lakers and the Celtics could celebrate as champions last year. On the other hand, no one in the Lakers locker room would dare compare the two, the former undoubtedly still a novelty that the Lakers would happily trade, prize money and all, for even a long shot at winning the big title in the spring.
And while the Lakers gladly accepted the hardware and the cash bonus that came with last season’s win, the team lost 10 of its next 13 games — the stretch that set the stage for the team to then fire Darvin Ham and the entirety of his coaching staff.
So as the Lakers prepare to open their NBA Cup title defense on Friday in San Antonio with nearly the same roster as a year ago, it’s more than fair to ask what, if anything, these games mean for them.
Read more: Another triple double from LeBron James leads the Lakers to a third win in a row
And, like last year, it doesn’t seem to be too hard to figure out.
“We just want the money,” Rui Hachimura said Wednesday with a little smile. “I think that’s the one thing that we kind of, last year, we were very motivated. We have the big prize.”
Like last year, the Lakers will have to survive group play to advance to the knockout round stage. They are in a group with the Spurs, the Phoenix Suns, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz.
And while the extra name, the special courts and alternate uniforms all reinforce that these games are supposed to be different, Lakers coach JJ Redick said he thinks his players will have an “another day at the office” approach.
“I expect our kids to be very competitive. Said this a few times last year, you don’t need to give competitive people a reason to compete,” he said Wednesday after the The third straight victory of Lakers. “They wake up in the morning, they want to compete. And the games count for the regular season. We all recognize how tough the Western Conference is. And every game will matter.”
Austin Reaveswho starred in the finals a year ago despite illness, said he agrees with Redick. The goal is, of course, to win every game. No more, no less.
Well, okay, maybe a little more.
“I mean, $500,000 is $500,000,” Reaves said.
Indeed, the prize pool has increased slightly this season, with all players on the winning team now earning $514,970.
“Need that,” newbie Dalton Knecht said with a smile.
Read more: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke, is expected to make a full recovery
Friday’s game against the Spurs will give the Lakers their first look at Victor Wembanyama, fresh off a 50-point performance Wednesday night. The cup implications (other than the potential cash in the long run), however, will not change Anthony Davis‘ approach.
“We know it was kind of the hype around us last year, but we approach every game — regular season game or cup game — the same,” he said. “I don’t think just because it’s a cup game that we should change how we approach it. We should approach every game the same way and that’s how we’re going to approach it.”
LeBron Jamesthe tournament’s Most Valuable Player, said his thoughts Friday will be elsewhere when the defense of the Cup begins – and that is the health of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who recently. suffered a mild stroke.
“For me personally, there is much bigger news coming out of San Antonio right now and that is my dear friend Coach Pop. And I’ll be thinking about him a lot as I travel there tomorrow, the game on Friday,” James said. “And I wish him the best of health. And hopefully, I’ll see him soon. It doesn’t even have to be on the side. Hopefully I will see him soon. That is the most important thing for me.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
