With the ramifications of losing Game 6 weighing heavily on everyone’s minds, the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans responded in the perfect way as they rallied together to dominate the Memphis Grizzlies to advance to the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
The energy at Crypto.com Arena has been electric for every home game and Game 6 was no different as the fans were on their feet for the entirety of the night. Every time the Lakers made a highlight reel play, the building felt like it was going to explode with how excited those in attendance got.
Los Angeles’ players have talked a lot about feeding off the energy from the crowd, and it showed as they delivered haymaker after haymaker throughout the night. The Lakers were able to build upon their 17-point lead in the first half and turn it into a blowout midway through the third quarter.
The new-look Lakers have gotten every fan’s attention, but their recent play even inspired purple and gold lifer Jack Nicholson to return to the front row for Game 6. The organization made sure to let the arena know he was in attendance and he was met with loud cheers during the game:
Big reception for Jack in his return! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/TuseVnOzja
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) April 29, 2023
Nicholson was a constant among the Lakers celebrity regulars for decades before he stopped showing up after opening night of the 2021-22 season. It’s hard to blame the iconic actor given the sad state of affairs the franchise used to be in, but they’ve turned things around in such a dramatic way that got even Nicholson to get back into his usual seat.
Nicholson has been a season ticket holder since 1970 and has been around for some of the most famous moments in Lakers history. He was there to see the Showtime Lakers win five titles, and later saw them win another five titles during the 2000s featuring Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
It seems like Nicholson believes Los Angeles has a legitimate shot to win a title this year, so it’ll be interesting to see if he shows up again for Game 3 in the second round to root on LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the team.
Jeanie Buss proud of Lakers fighting through 2-10 start
It’s almost hard to believe the Lakers are in the position they are in now after starting the 2022-23 season with a 2-10 record. The moment isn’t lost on Jeanie Buss, who reflected on the team’s poor start and expressed how proud she is of how they fought to get here.
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