This is now the second postseason appearance for Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham as he tries to replicate last season’s deep run. But, this year it started with a Western Conference Finals rematch against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who of course swept the Lakers last year.
Unfortunately, L.A. find themselves down two games to none again, and both were very winnable contests in Denver. The purple and gold got off to great starts but were simply unable to sustain and execute at a high enough level down the stretch to beat an excellent Nuggets team.
In particular, during Game 2, the Lakers were up by as many as 20 and blew it by not sustaining the play that got them the lead. Anthony Davis expressed after the game that there are times when players do not know what they are doing on both ends of the floor, which seemed to be an indictment on the coaching staff for not having them prepared.
After practice on Wednesday, Ham was asked about those comments by Davis and did not agree.
“I just think sometimes the plays don’t turn out the way you think they should,” Ham said. “The frustration sets in a little bit. But I don’t think it’s, for us, not being organized. I think I have incredibly talented coaches all along my staff and we pride ourselves on, whether it’s a practice or shootaround, games, whatever, we pride ourselves on being highly efficient and organized. So I would just chalk that up to being frustrated, you know it’s an emotional game the way it ended and all of that. But I’ll agree to disagree on that one.”
It’s not a great sign when a star player and head coach do not see eye-to-eye, particularly when the team’s season is on the line with Game 3. Hopefully this is something that gets ironed out at some point for the sake of keeping the season alive.
But during the playoffs, everything is magnified, especially against a well-disciplined team in Denver. The Lakers’ offense in the second half of both games has not been great by any stretch of the imagination. However, when there is a public disagreement between a star and a head coach, it does not bode well for team morale.
Darvin Ham: Lakers will be better from Game 2 buzzer-beating loss to Nuggets
Game 2 presented one of the most demoralizing losses in the franchises’ history as they let a 20-point lead slip away. This resulted in the second-largest blown lead for the Lakers, which is not great as the series shifts back to L.A.
Despite such a heartbreaking loss, the Lakers’ focus needs to turn to an even more important Game 3. Ham said the team will be better following Game 2, which needs to happen to avoid being swept again by Denver.
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