Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons they lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs

3 reasons the Los Angeles Lakers lost: A More Difficult Path

Last season the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to the title, only once needing more than 5 games to win a series (a six-game victory in the NBA Finals). They played an eight seed, a five seed, a four seed and a three seed en route to their championship. The highest win percentage of an opponent they faced was the Denver Nuggets at .630 (i.e. they won 63 percent of their games) in the Western Conference Finals.

This season was always going to be different, and much more difficult. They were unlikely to get the unexpected gift of the Eastern Conference five seed ripping off three seed-line upsets to reach the Finals. Yet because they slipped to the seven seed, their path got exponentially more difficult.

It began in the play-in game when the Lakers had to play Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. They barely snuck out the win, needing a miracle buzzer-beating rainbow from LeBron James. Then they faced the second-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round. At 51-21, the Suns’ winning percentage of .708 blew away anything the Lakers faced a season ago.

Even if Davis was healthy and they moved past the Suns, a rematch with the Nuggets would mean facing a stronger team than a year before (.653 winning percentage, +5.0 net rating compared to .630, +2.1 last year). Then a date with the LA Clippers or Utah Jazz, both stronger than any opponents from last year. The Milwaukee Bucks or Brooklyn Nets likely loomed in the NBA Finals.

LeBron James is one of the greatest players to ever lace up his sneakers, perhaps the very best. He has won against tough odds before. Yet never has he tried to claw up a playoff bracket like this before, and it led to the first and only first-round playoff exit in James’ career.

The Phoenix Suns are a legitimate contender, with two All-NBA guards and a center coming into his own as a force inside. Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder are the perfect forward combo in the modern NBA, with strong defensive chops and the ability to get hot from outside. Cameron Payne coming off the bench outplayed any guard from the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Suns because Anthony Davis went down with an injury. When he was healthy the Lakers were drawing even with Phoenix, although admittedly with an injured star of their own in Chris Paul. For once it isn’t Paul’s injury forcing his team to bow out early, but his opponents’.

Yet at the end of the day, there were multiple factors, from James’ ankle injury to poor roster construction that ultimately ended the Lakers’ season and has them heading home much earlier than they expected or desired.