Many, if not most, people didn’t expect the Los Angeles Lakers to make the playoffs when the 2022-23 season began. As late as January, their chances of reaching the postseason were slim, despite outstanding play from LeBron James.
Then came multiple trades that acted as a defibrillator for the team. The arrival of Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt made it into one that was suddenly capable of going deep in the playoffs.
As the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers took on the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. Many picked Memphis to win the series, and the team talked a lot of trash, particularly forward Dillon Brooks.
But Los Angeles prevailed in six games thanks in part to a couple of strong performances from Austin Reaves. The undrafted guard said while on the “Full Send Podcast” that it was gratifying to send the Grizzlies home for a long offseason (h/t Lakers Nation).
“All of Memphis, honestly, their whole team talks (expletive). It felt good beating them in the playoffs. … I think at the end of the day everybody knows we’re still grown men out there, (you) can’t really go call somebody something wild.”
The Lakers, of course, went on to upset the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors before falling in a sweep to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. In doing so, they put the entire basketball world on notice that they were back.
