The Los Angeles Lakers had their hearts broken in Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets when they blew a 20-point lead and lost on a Jamal Murray jumper at the final horn.
Although they complained about the officiating and perhaps had a legitimate reason to do so, they have only themselves to blame. They ran their offense very well for two-and-a-half quarters, only to slow to a crawl and get away from the actions that produced that big lead.
Afterward, Anthony Davis said that the Lakers have stretches where they don’t know what they’re doing on both ends of the floor. It almost sounded like a veiled shot at head coach Darvin Ham.
Ham responded to that comment on Wednesday.
Via ESPN:
“I mean, I just think sometimes when plays don’t turn out the way you think they should, then the frustration sets in a little bit,” Ham said. “But I don’t think it’s (from) us not being organized. I think I have incredibly talented coaches all along my staff. We pride ourselves, whether it’s a practice, a shootaround, a film session, a game or whatever, we pride ourselves on being highly efficient and organized. I just chalk that up to being frustrated. It’s an emotional game, the way it ended and all of that.
“But I’ll agree to disagree on that one.”
Game 2 was the third straight playoff game in which Los Angeles blew a double-digit lead and lost to the Nuggets. If it is to make this series competitive, it will have to discover something from within that it hasn’t displayed to this point, especially against the defending NBA champs, who have beaten it 10 straight times now.
