The Lakers Miss the Playoffs for a 6th Straight Year...

Article by: Zach Henley

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For the first time in over a decade, LeBron James will not be in the playoffs….and no that is not a typo. On Friday, the Brooklyn Nets eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in a 111-106 win. D’Angelo Russel tallied 21 points along with 13 assists in the win. JaVale McGee had his best game of the season scoring 33 points and grabbing 20 rebounds.

Now with the Lakers missing the playoffs, this topic raises some questions. Who is actually running the Lakers’ organization? Was LeBron worth the money? Is Luke Walton the right head coach for the Lakers? These are all major questions that the Lakers are going to face and address during the offseason. Over the course of the season, the Lakers organization has had to face loads of adversity both on the court, as well as in the media. This all happens when you sign LeBron James and give him a major role for your team. Magic handled the press very well and has done his best to make James happy.

​There were some important factors to James missing the playoffs this season. The first being that he is currently in the Western Conference. The West is the more dominant conference, has more star players, and of course, involves the Golden State Warriors. The second factor is that LeBron had his “first” significant injury of his career this season, which caused him to miss 17 games due to a groin injury. The Lakers went 6-11 in his absence and dropped in the conference standings. The last factor is the media, and how it has reacted in a feeding-frenzy manner. The media has been all over LeBron and the rest of the  Lakers organization, which has taken a heavy toll on the team. From rumors of tampering with Anthony Davis to the mess and question of: Who is in fact, running the Los Angeles Lakers?  The Lakers surely have a long offseason ahead of them but it's almost a certainty that people will be watching it very closely to see if Magic and James can turn things around in LA.

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