The Los Angeles Lakers assembled one of the most talented teams in the NBA over the offseason, and many people already booked their ticket into the NBA Finals. However, once the first game of the season tipped off, the Lakers never looked like a championship team.
The nightmare finally ended Sunday night when the San Antonio Spurs swept the Lakers in front of the Staples Center’s crowd. The Lakers dealt with numerous injuries over the course of the season and they ended the Playoffs with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks on the bench.
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Dwight Howard also saw his season come to an end a little earlier than expected as he was ejected from the game after two technical fouls. Not many people were pleased with how Howard acted in the final game of the season, and Lakers legend Magic Johnson criticized both the Lakers and the big men on Twitter.
Laker Nation: Dwight Howard that was a big No, No. Your teammates and the fans were counting on you.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 29, 2013
Laker Nation: I’m sooooooooooo happy the season is over. With the talent on this team this could go down as one of the worst seasons in Lakers’ history!
The Lakers’ front office will have a lot to look over during the summer, and there should be some major changes to the roster by the start of next season. Howard will be an unrestricted free agent come July, and management will have to make a tough decision on whether or not he is capable of leading the franchise in the future.
No one expected the Lakers to be a first round exit after all that happened during the offseason, but it appears as though this team was never really ready to make a push for the franchise’s 17th championship.