A three-pointer, a dunk, a free throw, whatever, it didn’t matter. No matter who scored or how, the Lakers were down one against the Celtics.
The score that matters most whenever the Lakers play the Celtics this season, at least in terms of their rivalry, is 18-17. Boston took that lead last June when they added another championship to their history, nudging them ahead of the Lakers for the most ever and doing it with a roster far more equipped to build on that lead while the Lakers work against a loudly ticking clock.
But as the Lakers try to figure out how good they can be, they delivered a strong argument for having faith in them, delivering a signature win in a 117-96 blowout victory against the league’s defending champion.
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The Lakers played their best 48 minutes of basketball this season — by far — quickly establishing that they were willing to attack the game from the three-point line like the Celtics while rediscovering their defensive toughness.
“We had a game plan and we executed it. For the majority of 48 minutes, we executed it,” LeBron James said. “We know it’s a great team, defending champions, great players and they’re gonna put you in situations that’s uncomfortable, but you have to be uncomfortable in order to compete with them.”
Boston shot only 37.8% from the field and 32.5% from three-point range, with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla pulling the plug. The Lakers’ best players, James, Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis, all took turns dominating, the trio combining for 67 points. Dalton Knecht scored 13 and Gabe Vincent had 12 off the bench, with Vincent hitting four threes and Knecht making three.
“I think guys came in and when their number was called, guys came in and they executed what we wanted to do,” James said. “…I think everybody who got the nod, you know played well.”
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 to lead the Celtics (31-14), who only had the lead twice and never by more than a point.
“Those guys, they know who Boston is. They’re the world champions. They can go on a flurry and beat you in a number of ways. It’s terrifying. It’s terrifying as a coach to try to figure that out,” JJ Redick said. “And I think our guys understand that. They understand the respect you have to have for that type of opponent.
“And as much as this game could be about reinforcing and establishing those standards that we tried to as a group for 42 games (so far), hopefully, there’s some reinforcement, maybe some establishment, but (also) some belief that gets reinforced here about what we can be and how good we can be.”
The Lakers’ chase for their next title would’ve been right at the foreground Thursday with Boston in town, but Davis’ comments to ESPN in a taped interview from earlier this week made sure of it.
Davis told ESPN that he believes the Lakers (24-18) need to add another center, publicly expressing a desire that he’s held for the bulk of his career despite being one of the NBA’s best centers since beginning to play the position exclusively.
“I think we need another big,” Davis said. “I feel like I’ve always been my best when I’ve been the [power forward].”
Davis also said he believed the team was one or two pieces away from title contention.
After the game, Davis said he has shared his desire to play power forward multiple times with the Lakers’ front office.
Davis’ comments come after James said the Lakers’ roster construction was the reason why the team’s margin for error was slim. Both players have urged the Lakers to be aggressive with future draft picks as the team nears the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
None of this is a surprise to Redick.
“No reaction. I mean the reality is that’s not a new report. I got the job six months ago. So I know that. I’ve followed this team since I retired. Just put a date next to it, that’s the report. It’s not a big deal,” Redick said. “Those guys wanna win; we wanna win. And again, it’s a challenging environment to just go out and make trades. Feel very fortunate that we’re able to execute and get someone like Dorian Finney-Smith on our team. And we’ll continue to look over the next couple of weeks.”
The Lakers head out on their annual Grammy road trip, playing six games with a significant caveat — the final game of the trip will be in Inglewood against the Clippers. The Lakers will take on the Warriors, Hornets, 76ers, Wizards and Knicks before coming back to Los Angeles, a chance for them to carry momentum onto the road — an area where they’ve struggled for most of the season.
But by picking up a big win Thursday against a quality opponent (even if Boston needed to go to overtime to beat the Clippers on Wednesday), the Lakers sent a message upstairs about their ceiling.
Whether that ceiling gets another banner, it’s too early to say. But the Lakers players know that if they want the team to add to the roster, they need to deliver against the league’s best.
“We always want to have a championship mindset. We always want it to be attainable. I think our front office is, obviously, working. (General manager) Rob (Pelinka) is working on trying to better the team,” Davis said. “But for us, it’s about going out and playing. Whether something happens or not, we have to go out and compete with whatever is in this locker room.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
