Why LeBron and the Lakers are on the brink of a mini dynasty

LeBron James and the Lakers are halfway to an NBA championship and, let’s face it, they are going to win the 17th franchise title, tying the Celtics for the most in NBA history.

Unfortunately for the Heat, they are beset by injuries to Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, who did not play in the Lakers’ 124-114 win in Game 2, and Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade are not coming through that door. .

The Lakers are going to close out the title, which would be No. 4 for James with three different teams, and No. 1 for Anthony Davis, the most talented teammate LeBron has ever had, with all due respect to Kyrie Irving.

“He’s a great player,” James told Rachel Nichols after Davis scored 32 points and 14 rebounds Friday night, taking advantage of the Heat without Adebayo. “He understands the position he’s in, he understands how much our team needs him and he goes beyond it. It doesn’t say much, but we know that he is very determined to go out and not only to do what he has to do individually, but what is most important for the improvement of the team.

The Lakers will also be favorites to win back-to-back NBA championships in 2021, as ESPN’s Mike Greenberg pointed out this week on his radio show. Could they go for a triple and match the achievement of O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the early 2000s?

Sure, who is going to stop them?

Will the five titles won by the Lakers from Kareem, Magic and Pat Riley during the “Showtime” Era?

Probably not.

There are problems, no doubt.

Yes, Davis turned down the Lakers’ maximum free agency offer in January and can become a free agent, but he found his ideal match with James, his former role model, and knows he has a chance to win multiple titles with the Lakers.

“He has a ring,” Davis said. “I hope I don’t have to be envious much longer. I want a ring and he has three. That would be the only thing I’d be jealous of.”

Of course, if he and James stick together, LeBron could end up with five or six rings (tying Michael Jordan for last), and Davis two or three.

Both Davis and James said that the success of these Lakers teams can be attributed to a lack of jealousy

“I’m not jealous of him, he’s not jealous of me. I think it shows on the court,” Davis said this week. “Obviously, that can always come up when you have, like you said, two alpha males on the same team. But I think when you have two guys who are very selfless and want to win as much as we want, the rest disappear and take care of itself. Jealousy has never been something on anyone’s team. “

Said LeBron: “In professional sports, there are guys joining forces, you can call them alpha males. That’s what they call them. Two guys who have been dominant in a specific sport on their respective teams, and they get together and talk about how dominant they are. they can be and they talk about this, it’s going to be this and that. I think jealousy creeps a lot. And that’s the opposite of what we are.

“We know who we are. We know what it’s about. We want the best, seriously, every day, both on and off the court, for each other. We are just not jealous of each other. I think you align it with respect, I think the sky is the limit. “

Father time is coming for everyone, just check with Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods about that.

James will turn 36 in December, and at some point, his skills will start to weaken. But now it doesn’t seem to be close to that. James went for 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Game 2.

Some already look to next year, when Irving and Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets finally make their NBA debuts.

“If they are healthy, they are winning the East and possibly they will face LeBron James in the final,” Jalen Rose said Friday on ESPN. “That is what I am anticipating.”

That would be entertaining theater, especially after Irving appeared to disparage James in favor of Durant this week on KD’s new podcast, “The ETCs w / KD.”

“One thing I’ve always been comfortable with is that I felt like I was the best option on every team that I played for,” Irving said. “This is the first time in my career that I can look down and say, ‘That son of a bitch can take that shot too, and he’d probably make it a lot easier.’ (Kyrie denied that James was yelling at those comments.)

The Nets will be challenged in the East by the Heat, Raptors, Celtics and Sixers, while the Warriors, Clippers and Nuggets hope the Lakers will run for their money in the West.

But LeBron, Davis and the Lakers are not going anywhere and are prepared for more championships after this one.

“No, it never goes out of style to be on this stage,” James told Nichols after Game 2. “This is what I’m striving for, to be able to play in June, October, and I’m honored to be with such a great franchise, with great teammates, a great coaching staff and a great fan base to represent the Western Conference.

“It will never get old for me and I just try to make the most of it while I can.”

Then get ready. Another mini dynasty of purple and gold is coming.