Lebron James suffered a sprained ankle against the Atlanta Hawks this week. James’ injury coinciding with Anthony Davis missing action with injury begs the question. Can the Lakers survive at this current pace in the Western Conference and secure the number one seed?
The Western Conference is notoriously a blood bath compared to its eastern counterpart. A five game losing streak could drop the Lakers to 7th in the West.
In the first contest since Lebron’s injury the Lakers took a beating from the Phoenix Suns, a western conference foe with a better record.
No, Lebron? A Real Problem
The Lakers are 6-8 in last 14 games without Anthony Davis. However, teams without Lebron James are even more dire straits. Lebron’s first departure from Cleveland lead to the Cavaliers to the worst record in the Eastern Conference, and a 26 game losing streak.
The Miami Heat devolved from four straight finals to missing the playoffs entirely. The Cavaliers received the first overall pick through the draft lottery, and picked Kyrie Irving number one overall leading to Lebron’s return from the Heat. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA title two seasons before Lebron’s second departure.
The Cavaliers returned to the same fate as Lebron’s first time leave as a free agent.
