Why Anthony Davis' big performance will give the Lakers momentum and a clear path to the NBA Finals
Regardless of whether they have to participate in the play-in tourney, Davis' performance as of late should give fans increased hope for another title
What a season it has been so far for the Los Angeles Lakers. They have gone from being the clear favorites to repeat as champions to dealing with a ton of injuries and being one of the biggest wild-cards in the NBA this season. The Lakers with LeBron, even when Davis was hurt, still won a lot of games, and there is no question that LeBron is the most valuable player on the Lakers and of course in the NBA. His impact on this team has been unparalleled and the questions about this very talented Lakers team were not about LeBron, but instead Anthony Davis’ health.
After going down with a calf strain to his already aggravated Achilles tendon on February 15th, there was a ton of concern and speculation that Davis’ injury looked similar to Kevin Durant’s Achilles tear in the 2019 NBA Finals. I was one of those people questioning the severity of Davis’ injury as he has had an injury-filled career already. Luckily, I was wrong as Davis has proven over the past four games that he is indeed at full strength and ready to help LeBron lead the Lakers organization to another NBA title.
Davis had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks last Monday in a huge win against the soaring Denver Nuggets, then 36 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists in a tough loss to the Portland Trailblazers. Last night he increased his stellar play even more by dropping 42 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals on the #2 seed Phoenix Suns, who have been playing great basketball as of late. Davis’ performance last night felt different. He looked even better than the dominant performance in the game previously against the Trailblazers. Davis looked in control on both ends of the floor throughout the whole game. Right from the tip, it felt like the Suns didn’t have a chance.
The Suns are an amazing team and they got drilled by a Lakers squad that didn’t have LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, and Dennis Schroder playing. This should be a fantastic sign for all Lakers fans since LeBron is not even back and the team is putting on a show against other top-tier teams. Yes, LeBron will need to be close to fully healthy for the Lakers to win a championship and maybe even a playoff series. Their ceiling is very limited without LeBron regardless of how dominant Anthony Davis has been.
More good news for Lakers fans. LeBron will be back almost fully healthy before the playoffs. LeBron knows his body more than anyone else, and he is just pacing himself for the long road ahead in the playoffs. No one is better at understanding their health and performance than LeBron James, and he has worked all season to make sure he is prepared for another deep playoff run.
Even with last night’s success, it seems very likely considering Portlands cupcake remaining schedule, that the Lakers will indeed finish with the 7th seed. Media members love to scare Laker fans claiming that Steph Curry could go off for 50+ points and beat the Lakers in a one-game play-in, but guess what? Even if Steph scores 50+ no one else on that team will be able to be efficient on offense against the #1 ranked defense in the league. As much as people tell you that Warriors Vs. Lakers will be a competitive game, it won’t be. Lakers will win that one easily and dominate whoever the #2 seed is in the first round.
Davis’ performance last night showing that he is back to his dominance and in full strength was the last piece of the puzzle to come to fruition. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be at full strength as soon as tomorrow and the whole league will be put on notice.