LOS ANGELES — The Lakers were beaten — and battered, limping all the way to the finish line.
It was abundantly clear early on it would take a monstrous effort to stave off elimination from the Minnesota Timberwolves and send this series back to Minneapolis. And for stretches of Wednesday’s game it appeared both teams took turns telling the other “put me out of my misery, please!”
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The Timberwolves, with one of the most anemic shooting nights in the history of the NBA playoffs, still stayed in control for the entire night—never once giving off the feeling the Lakers would be accompanying them back to Minnesota for a Game 6.
The Lakers gave all they had last weekend and came up empty, and all that was left was last rites, delivered in a 103-96 Game 5 final at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night.
First Luka Dončić went down, his back acting up as he sauntered to the locker room at the end of the first half. Then later, LeBron James collided with Donte DiVincenzo, falling in a heap on his left leg in the fourth quarter. He never went to the locker room but he wasn’t right after, dragging that leg as if it were no longer attached to his body.
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If this were some hokey Hollywood script, we would all say it was set up for James and Dončić to make the miraculous happen, to take the game since the Timberwolves were intent on beating themselves in stretches — but they couldn’t.
Anthony Edwards missed all 11 of his 3-pointers, and it didn’t stop him from hoisting them. The Timberwolves missed a record 40 triples, yet seemed to win easily because Rudy Gobert turned into Wilt Chamberlain (27 points, 24 rebounds) and Julius Randle cosplayed the best of Charles Barkley (23 points, five rebounds, four assists).
James’ remaining shots came up short, because he couldn’t get the lift. And Dončić didn’t have the stamina to sustain any type of consistent performance as the night dragged on.
“I didn’t play the way I should,” Dončić said. “As a team, we didn’t play the way we should. They were the better team, honestly.”
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As for his ailing back, Dončić said, “It’s not good at all but I tried to go.”
Somewhere, if Nico Harrison is a smoker, he took a drag of something — not in satisfaction but perhaps validation. Not just that defense wins championships, but it’s hard to recall a champion whose best player has nothing to give on the defensive end.
The jolt of the February trade still wears on Dončić, and one thinks with a conventional offseason he, James and Austin Reaves will be a better fit when it counts — they all seemed disjointed late in games, and their unfamiliarity showed when the Lakers’ shooting went down the toilet in their disastrous fourth quarters this series.
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The Lakers’ present and future were supposed to team up to make some quick magic, but couldn’t get on the same page long enough to outwit the new jacks who aren’t as inexperienced as we’d like to think they are.
And that’s where the Lakers sit, possessing two otherworldly talents in James and Dončić, but each have glaring needs. Dončić is extension eligible in August, and considering he lost nine figures in what he could’ve signed for in Dallas this summer, smart money says he’ll take it.
James is a different case. He has a player option for $52.6 million he’ll have to decide on, and although it feels unlikely he goes anywhere, anything can happen. There were times he looked like he’d found the fountain of youth, times where you wonder is the drop-off ever going to show up — and then moments where he looks like a mere mortal.
Such is life for a man who turns 41 in December. What more can he accomplish? What’s more for him to do, would winning another championship fulfill him in ways a fourth hasn’t already?
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He’ll likely make one of the three All-NBA teams, another accolade to add to the war chest that’s stock full.
“I got a lot to think about myself,” James said.
The physical toll is real, and it showed this series. Playing smaller means he had to take on bigger players and as herculean as he is, doing that every night against the likes of Julius Randle isn’t fun, and it doesn’t lead to quick recoveries.
Lakers coach JJ Redick deserves a lot of credit for working with what he had, for taking over a team that was supposed to be maximized around James and Anthony Davis before the deal of a lifetime came their way.
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Adjusting on the fly meant it would be hard to make it through the west without a perfect path, but no one could say what that path was. If it wasn’t the Timberwolves standing in their way, it could’ve been the Nuggets or Clippers or even Warriors — they were ripe to be caught given their holes.
“It’s already hard to be a coach in the NBA, and it’s a hell of a lot harder being a rookie head coach,” James said. “I thought he handled it extremely well. He held us accountable, he pushed us.
“That’s one thing for sure, he’s a great coach.”
The Lakers have a first-round pick they can trade — the biggest asset in addition to some tradable contracts in Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt (all in the $11 million range).
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Can they acquire what they need in one offseason, and make a legit run in a Western Conference that’s deep and tough? Perhaps with time.
Dončić needs a lob threat, athleticism on the wings to help cover his weaknesses on defense — and James needs shooting to maximize his best skill, his passing.
LeBron James, once unstoppable, now battles the toll of time. (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
“Time” was the word sitting in the air, moments after the game went final. With Dončić, assuming he gets himself in championship shape, the Lakers have a long runway of time to stay relevant, to build around him and even contend.
But time is a resource James doesn’t have. For the second straight year, James’ team exits the postseason in five games — perhaps a signal that they’re not as close to true contenders as it appears most nights during the regular season.
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And with each passing year, James’ body needs more care, needs more time to get right — time that he doesn’t have, especially when the youngsters competing against him gain more and more confidence, more sweat equity.
“I don’t know, I don’t have an answer to that,” James said of his future. “It’s something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife, my support group and just kind of talk through it and see what happens. Have a conversation with myself about how long I want to continue to play.”
James wouldn’t even dare joke about what this team needs for the future, considering the timing of Anthony David saying he hoped the Lakers would acquire frontcourt help … and they responded by trading him a week later.
“No comment. I never say that, my guy AD said what needed and then he was gone the following week,” James said. “I got no comment. I put that uniform on, gave everything I had.”
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He wasn’t as melodramatic as two years ago, when Denver’s moment of triumph was quelled by James’ inside thoughts tumbling out to a microphone, contemplating retirement.
There was a sense of resignation in his voice this time. Not as much energy to muster up talk about his future, but it’s clear there’s only so many precious moments left in his body.
He takes solace in having his son with him on the sidelines, spending time with him every day and watching him grow — perhaps the lone victory this season.
He limped out of his press conference, still dragging his leg. Dončić moved slowly, carefully measuring each step. Not far away, Redick exited with his head down.
All were exhausted from the long journey that ended quicker than they’d hoped.
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