History and hindsight have made it a little difficult to contextualize what the Lakers accomplished last winter, the team hoisting a trophy and hanging a banner after winning the NBA’s first in-season tournament championship.
On one hand, only the Lakers and the Celtics were able to celebrate as champs last year. On the other, no one inside the Lakers locker room would dare compare the two, the first definitely still a novelty the Lakers would’ve happily traded, prize money and all, for even a longshot chance to win the big title in the spring.
And while the Lakers gladly accepted the hardware and the cash bonus that came with last season’s win, the team lost 10 of its next 13 games — the stretch that set the stage for the team to eventually fire Darvin Ham and the entirety of his coaching staff.
So as the Lakers get set to open their title defense of the NBA Cup Friday in San Antonio with virtually the same roster as a year ago, it’s more than fair to wonder what, if anything, these stretch of games means to them.
And, like last year, it doesn’t seem to be too tough to figure out.
“We just want the money,” Rui Hachimura said Wednesday with a bit of a chuckle. “I think that’s the one thing we kind of, last year, we were very motivated. We have the big prize.”
Like last year, the Lakers will have to survive group play to advance to the knockout round stage. They’re in a group with the Spurs, the Phoenix Suns, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Utah Jazz.
And while the extra designation, the special courts and alternate uniforms all reinforce that these games are supposed to be different, Lakers coach JJ Redick said he thinks his players will have “another day at the office” approach.
“I expect our guys to be highly competitive. Said this a number of times last year, you don’t need to give a reason to competitive people to compete,” he said Wednesday after the Lakers’ third straight win. “They wake up in the morning, they wanna compete. And the games count for the regular season. We all recognize how difficult the Western Conference is. And every game is gonna matter.”
Austin Reaves, who starred in the final a year ago despite an illness, said he agrees with Redick. The goal is, of course, to win every game. No more, no less.
Well, OK, maybe a little more.
“I mean, $500,000 is $500,000,” Reaves said.
Actually, the prize pool ticked up slightly this season, all players on the winning team now cashing $514,970.
“Need that,” rookie Dalton Knecht said with a smile.
Friday’s game against the Spurs will give the Lakers their first look against Victor Wembanyama, fresh off the phenom scoring 50 points Wednesday night. The cup implications (plus the potential cash in the long term), though, won’t change Anthony Davis’ approach.
“We know it kind of was the hype around us last year, but we’re approaching each game — regular season game or Cup game — as the same,” he said. “I don’t think just because it’s a Cup game that we should change how we approach it. We should approach each game the same way and that’s how we’re going to approach it.”
LeBron James, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, said his thoughts Friday will be elsewhere when the Cup defense begins — and that’s the health of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who recently suffered a mild stroke.
“For me personally, there’s much bigger news out of San Antonio right now and that’s my dear friend Coach Pop. And I’ll be thinking heavily about him as I travel there tomorrow, the game on Friday,” James said. “And I’m wishing him the best of health. And hopefully, I see him soon. It doesn’t even have to be on the sidelines. Hopefully I’ll just see him soon. That’s the most important for me.”