The Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of elimination after their heartbreaking Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets. No team in the history of the NBA has overcome an 0-3 deficit to win a series.
While LeBron James is one of the two best players of all time, this isn’t the same player who propelled sorry Cavaliers teams to the Finals and went toe-to-toe against the Warriors dynasty — pre and post Kevin Durant — for a handful of years.
Assuming the Lakers lose the series, whether it be in Monday’s Game 4 or later, there’s multiple reasons for optimism heading into the offseason.