Lakers Are Losing but Fans Stay Loyal

The Los Angeles Lakers were officially eliminated last Friday from the playoffs. They have been on a downhill spiral for the last few weeks. Two of their starters, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball are still injured and the team is still looking for the light at the end of the free agent tunnel.

That's the bad news. The good news is this is still the Lakers town. Fans still pack the Staples Center regardless of whom the Lakers are playing or who the Lakers put on the court. "The fans are awesome," said Laker head coach Luke Walton after their loss to the Brooklyn Nets last Friday. "Laker fans, I have always said, they are incredible. They show so much love around the city. They show up to every game. We are officially out of the playoffs but the place will still be packed at our next game."

At press time the Lakers were in 11th place in the 15 team Western Conference with a record of 32-41. The top eight teams advance to the playoffs.

So even though the Lakers are losing they still have the fans support but the team and coaching staff are still feeling the pain of dropping to the bottom of the Western conference standings. "It's tough," said Walton. "When you are losing games it seems like all the bounces and calls and the fifty-fifty balls just happen to go against you."

Walton continued to say, "That's not me feeling sorry for us. I keep telling the guys we need to keep playing hard. We have to keep encouraging our guys. It's still about players getting better. It's still about going out there and respecting the game and doing everything we have to, to try to win. We believe in our guys."

Besides the fan support the Lakers still have LeBron James. He is averaging 27.5 points per game, over eight rebounds and eight assists. Those are great numbers considering the injury problems the Lakers have had this year.

"Obviously it's been a tough season for all of us," said James last Friday. "You just have to keep pushing on to tomorrow and go from there. The playoffs are never promised and the one thing you can't control is injuries. It's been challenging for all of us. We have a job to do and we are trying to play at the highest level."

The Lakers have seven more games to play before their season is over. Four of those games will be at home starting with the 7:30 p.m. game against Charlotte Hornets on Friday. Thursday, April 4, they host the Golden State Warriors at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 7, they face the Utah Jazz at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, April 9, they play their last game of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:30 p.m.