The Lakers are stuck in a time loop this playoffs, with the Nuggets getting the worst possible outcome every time. Thursday was the latest time the Lakers took an early lead, fell behind in the second half, and this time lost without much of a fight.
Although the Purple and Gold trailed 3-0 in the series, it was the Nuggets' 11th straight victory over the Lakers. And as expected, and rightly so, Lakers fans were pretty upset about it by the end of Thursday's game.
“Fire Durbin!” chants broke out from some in the crowd.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 26, 2024
Darvin Ham has been a lightning rod for Lakers fans this season, and much of that animosity has been directed at him. Despite going too far this season, Durbin has done little to escape criticism. The simplest example right now is how badly the Lakers played in the second half of this series.
Since the NBA became a best-of-seven series in 2003, there have been 90 instances in which a team held a double-digit lead in each of the first three games of a playoff series.
This year, the Lakers are 0-3 with their only loss.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 26, 2024
Anthony Davis' recent comments that the Lakers sometimes “don't know what they're doing” on the court certainly didn't soften those criticisms. Hamm himself disputed the advertising bureau's comments. The Lakers as a whole weren't thrilled with AD's comments.but it made Davis a very public face due to the displeasure that Lakers fans have towards Hamm.
But fan hostility Thursday wasn't just directed at Hamm. D'Angelo Russell was also the focus of the ire as he finished 0-7 from the field and 0-6 from the 3-point line in 24 minutes.
Emotions are certainly running high after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the same team for the second year in a row. Instead of feeling good, your dissatisfaction should come to the surface.
If there is another game on Saturday, it could be a very interesting scene. Last year, the Lakers lost a battle led by LeBron James, who played effectively throughout the game. If the Lakers let go of the rope this season like they did in Game 3, fans are clearly unhappy and things could get worse.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter. @JacobRude.