In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.” Vin Scully’s call after Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series still echoes through Los Angeles nearly four decades later. Why not now? Why not the Lakers?
Almost everyone has written them off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the same way they were written off against the Houston Rockets. That narrative did not age well the first time. The Lakers are betting it will not age well again.
Without Luka Dončić for the start of this series, and possibly its entirety, the challenge ahead is real. But weirder things have happened in sports. If this postseason has proven anything, it is that this Lakers team does not need your belief. Only their own.
The Mountain Ahead
The regular season record tells an ugly story. Oklahoma City went 4-0 against the Lakers this year, and it was not particularly close. Three of those four wins came by 29 points or more, including a 43-point beatdown in April. The Thunder finished the regular season with the best net rating and defensive rating in the league, then rolled through Phoenix in a first-round sweep without breaking a sweat.
Luka Dončić is not expected to be available for the start of this series, and there is no clear timeline for his return. That is the same situation the Lakers navigated against Houston, but the Thunder are a significant step up in class. OKC has the reigning league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and this is a team built to suffocate opponents on both ends of the floor.
The Lakers’ offense sputtered at times against the Rockets. Against a defense this disciplined, those stretches could be costly.
Don’t Forget What They Just Did
Not long ago, the conversation was whether the Lakers even belonged in the playoffs. Then they went out and beat a Houston Rockets team without Luka Dončić for the first four games, with Austin Reaves missing time as well, and still found a way to close it out in six. LeBron James carried this team when it needed carrying, and did it against a young, physical Rockets squad that was not going to hand anything over.
Reaves is back now. That matters. He is one of the better two-way guards in the Western Conference and his presence changes what this offense can do, particularly in the half court. The Lakers are not the same team OKC dominated in the regular season.
LeBron in the playoffs is a different animal. He has been here before, on bigger stages, against longer odds. That does not guarantee anything. But it means the Lakers will not fold when things get hard, and in a series like this, that counts for something.
Cracks in the Armor
The Thunder are the heavy favorites for a reason, but they are not without their own concerns heading into this series. Jalen Williams went down with a hamstring injury during the first-round sweep of Phoenix, and his status for this series is uncertain. Williams is OKC’s second-best player and one of the more versatile wings in the league. His absence would be significant.
There is also the matter of rhythm. The Thunder swept the Suns and have been sitting with over a week of rest since. Extended time off can cut both ways in the playoffs. The Lakers, by contrast, just finished a six-game series and are coming in with their legs under them and momentum at their back.
None of this makes OKC vulnerable in the traditional sense. They are deep, disciplined and well-coached. But the idea that this series is a foregone conclusion ignores the reality that the defending champs are dealing with their own uncertainty heading into Round 2.
Where This Series Gets Won or Lost
No single Laker can stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That is not a slight, it is simply the reality of trying to contain the reigning league MVP. The Lakers’ best chance is to make it a collective effort, throwing multiple bodies at him and forcing him to make decisions rather than dominate.
LeBron James will have to be part of that equation. His length, strength and playoff experience make him uniquely equipped to make SGA uncomfortable without gambling for steals or getting caught reaching. The goal is not to shut him down. It is to make every bucket feel like work.
Marcus Smart is the wild card here. A defensive menace who has made careers difficult for far bigger names, Smart has the tenacity and IQ to disrupt SGA’s rhythm in ways that statistics will not fully capture. If he can force Gilgeous-Alexander into leaning on his teammates, the Lakers open the door to making this a more competitive series than anyone expects.
The foul bait is real. OKC draws fouls at an elite rate and the Lakers cannot afford to play into that pattern. Disciplined, physical, swarming defense without the undisciplined reach-ins will be the difference between a competitive series and a short one.
Never Count Out the Purple and Gold
Staying out of foul trouble and blocking out the noise of a raucous OKC crowd will be just as important as any adjustment drawn up in the locker room. This series may look like a foregone conclusion to the rest of the league, but Los Angeles is not interested in the narrative. It will take grit, discipline and an unwavering belief in each other to pull off what few think is possible.
To the doubters, this series is already over. To the Lakeshow faithful, they know better than anyone to never count out the purple and gold. The Lakers take this to six games. Nobody will see it coming.
