No NBA team has qualified in the history of the North American professional basketball league after being down 3-0 in the playoffs. There is therefore little hope for the Los Angeles Lakers after their third loss, Saturday, May 20, against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference final (108-119).
And it's not the scenario of the first game of the series played in Los Angeles that will be able to instill a hint of positivity in LeBron James and his teammates.
No sooner had they managed to take a short advantage in the fourth and final quarter, than the Lakers suffered the lightning. The Nuggets, who were up to 14 points in the game, then stepped on the accelerator and signed a fatal 13-0 in three minutes, destroying California's chances of finally winning this series.
The tremendous momentum the Lakers had produced since the transfer deadline earlier in the season finally broke on the power of the Nuggets. Until this Saturday, the Californians had seven consecutive victories at home since the start of the playoffs.
First NBA Finals in sight for the Nuggets
In the end, Jamal Murray scored 37 points for the Nuggets – including 30 points in the first half. His teammate Nikola Jokic added 24 points and 8 assists.
For the Lakers, Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds; LeBron James, for his part, had 23 points, twelve assists and seven rebounds, making three award-winning 3-pointers after missing his first thirteen shots of the series from long range.
Nikola Jokic's formidable streak of four consecutive triple-doubles ended in a rather quiet game for the double MVP (most valuable player), in 2021 and 2022. But the Serb doesn't care, as the Nuggets have never been closer to the NBA Finals in forty-seven years of franchise history. "This group is capable of doing great things, and [the players] believe in that," Denver coach Michael Malone said.
Game 4 of the series is Monday night, again in Los Angeles. “The circumstances are what they are. It will be difficult but not impossible,” California coach Darvin Ham still wants to believe. It's not a feat the Lakers need now, but a miracle.
