Does anyone else feel like I do?

[lakersboy]

[lakersboy]

[Rek]

[lakersboy]

[lonesoul]

I am just as excited ever. Been putting on my Lakers shirts. Bought a Lakers hat. Got my dog a Lakers jersey. Gave my friend's kid a Lebron toy figure. Counting down the days to each game. Glad Lakers lost a game to make game 4 more exciting. Although as one gets older you realize there are more important things to focus on, but Lakers will always be an important part of my life. Can't wait to see how they improve the team in the offseason. Wondering how old I will be when Lakers win their 18th and hoping Boston's young team fizzles out.

[Lucky_Shot]

I was a bigger Kobe fan than Lakers fan, so it will never be the same level for me but
when we were down in game 2 against the Blazers I was on the edge of my seat.

After that there has been no drama, just smooth sailing to where we are now.

It hasn't been the most exciting playoff run. But not every playoff run can be the best ever. Just happy to be one game away from number 17

[Lakerwayne]

[Snipes]

I will say this even though it’s not the same or whatever had we lost earlier or lose now I would go completely insane

[cannga11]

Thrilled & invested as ever.
Crushed with every loss as ever.

Elated because I felt our chance is slim against Clippers, Bucks, or Toronto, and like magic, those guys are gone. Now here we are, trophy so close I feel I could almost touch it.

If we don't win this year, I think 17th will be a long time coming, with Warriors and Clippers, and more mature Denver, and awakened Bucks, next year. IT'S NOW OR NEVER and I'm an extremely happy camper! And I hope you will be too once you realize how fortunate we are.
_________________
Lakers fan since that Magical day June 25, 1979.

[KOBE WAN]

[Lakerwayne]

Im excited but I’ve always been a lebron fan and was also invested in the guys that did stick around especially kcp and Kuzma.

But I agree that the competition is the exciting part. In fact in past laker championships I never felt great after the Finals win it always felt kinda anticlimactic or deflating like well what now cuz following the season and watching the competition the thrill of the playoffs is the fun part. Also this team has beaten everybody in 5 and will have a chance to close this one out as well in 5 which means tho it’s been exciting we haven’t even seen a game 6 let alone a game 7 this team has been quite dominant actually so it gets exciting when one of these teams takes a game lol you get bored with how good this team is and that’s exciting 😂

[Lakerwayne]

Basically what I’m saying is I love the exciting boredom of lakers playoff dominance. It excites me in my day to day life to know that tonight I’m gonna sit and chill and watch the lakers probably win and if I’m lucky the other team might make it interesting but in the end won’t have a shot at actually winning the series

[loslakersss]

Yeah it’s defintiely not the same feeling as past titles. I thought a part of it (in addition to the others that have been mentioned) is that this group is pretty much all new. With past titles we had guys for a few years and have to fight through those heartbreaking postseasons before winning it all. This just feels like a build your own championship that was bought at Costco. Don’t get me wrong, it’s awesome that the team is so good and will probably win the title to honor Kobe and tie the Celtics. But I also don’t have that emotional investment in the team because we haven’t really experienced losing together. And that’s what makes winning sweeter, it’s why I’m so invested in the Dodgers even with their weird bubble and no fans in the stands.

Also, the nuggets playoff run plus Luka in round 1 were the most exciting part of these playoffs. The rest was pretty meh.

[pjiddy]

I agree that the games themselves don't carry the theatrical drama of playing in front of a live crowd. I also miss watching the Finals with my friends, which i haven't been able to do since my current job does strict testing and I could essentially lose it if i catch COVID. So that sucks.

But this year has also been so awful, that a Laker title goes that much further.

[Buck32]

It's just you ... and maybe VLF.
After 10 years of misery, almost not having a season at all, despite a pandemic, despite on-going all out war on common decency and civil rights, and tying the C's record, and winning one for the greatest Laker ever, and you're not thrilled?

The conditions and circumstances this post-season may be the most difficult ever to try and go through playing and winning a title.
_________________
“Properly read, the bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.”
― Isaac Asimov

[ksmgf]

[slavavov]

The basketball itself and the quality of play has been as great as ever. I grew up on the Kobe era, so watching 110+ point games every night is a refreshing change versus never seeing a game back then where both teams scored at least 100.

But the lack of fans at the games and having to stay home because of the pandemic means there's no excitement around maybe winning the championship. That's what really makes it special, because rooting for your favorite team is all about your civic pride for your hometown.

This has been more like watching your team get close to a championship while in exile in Siberia.
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Lakers 49ers Chargers Dodgers

[XTC]

Maybe I’m just exhausted from things happening in life this year, I‘ll still be relieved and ecstatic for the team if they can hoist the LO’B. What a journey. I still remember Joey Buss with his bizarre trophy speech in Orlando, something about Lakers 15 and Celtics 17... 11 years later, there’s an opportunity to tie it up.

All of the naysayers, doom and groomers, and those redditors who showed up at Staples, were down on this team about a year ago after the off-season. I am still eating crow for doubting the FO. Very few could imagine the Lakers being in this position a year later.

So proud of the team’s resolve and dedication, they never quit. In a year of redemption, Dwight Howard’s renaissance has lead him back to where it all started, hoping the team will be able get it done tonight.

[blackmamba08]

[hype]

I know when I wear my "F*ck the Celtics" shirt I still get tons of people hyped up in public talking about winning it all this year. There's some Trumptilians around here that try to talk some trash but I just ignore them as all they really want is to start some unnecessary drama.

It doesn't feel as big as some of the past Championships but still massive since it's been such a long drought and knowing they are going to be wearing the Mamba jerseys with the whole Kobe backdrop is taking it to another entire level for me at least.

[Batguano]

It's not just you. And at all the people acting like they speak for everyone and trying to make you feel like a 'weirdo' for feeling this way. The historically low ratings speak for themselves.

There are MANY reasons why I'm not as excited about this championship as other years:

1) Kobe's death. Basketball and the Lakers just haven't seemed the same since it happened. Sure, it'd be great to "win one for the gipper", but if you asked me right now if I would trade this guaranteed championship for Kobe still being alive, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.

2) Covid and 2020 as a whole. It's given me a different perspective on life. And many things that were important to me before don't seem to matter as much and are trivial (i.e. sports/entertainment).

3) Paused/shortened season really took the wind out of the sails. A near half-year hiatus makes it seem like this isn't even part of the same season.

4) No crowd. I'm sorry but the crowd is just such a HUGE part of any sport and the excitement that goes along with it. As others have pointed out, imagine AD's buzzerbeater happening in Staples. Would literally bring the roof down. These games have felt like Summer League more than actual NBA playoffs.

5) Unchallenged path to the Finals. The most memorable championships to me have always been the ones where the Lakers had to scratch and claw and win hotly contested series and pull of crazy last-second heroics to make it happen. We've had no Game 7's, luckily avoided the biggest obstacles we would've had to face. It'll be 4 straight series of gentlemen's sweeps. At least during the 2001 run we made history with the playoff record and still faced the Western Conference gauntlet.

[Swagron12]

Another illustration that people will complain about anything and everything.

[wolfpaclaker]

I have found bubble play to be as good as regular play. With the lack of fans, I think the quality of the players play is even better, and the lack of travel. You have seen players hit incredible shots and be very very good. I feared that the bubble play would lack, but it has been high quality. The Lakers themselves began like I feared. Without much purpose and looked out of sorts. But then they turned it on, and have become the same team they were pre-pandemic.

I was not feeling it, but when I saw these guys really give it their all, and then the commitment to winning for Kobe, Gigi. How can you not want this?

I mean Kobe's widow, Vanessa, she wished them luck for tomorrow's game. The only difference for me will be if they win and they talk about Kobe, I will likely shed tears instead of the usual lets go celebrate with drinks and go crazy. This will be somber celebration IF we win. The JOB IS NOT DONE, I can not repeat that enough.

I respect what anyone is feeling. You can not teach or force emotion. What you have is, what you have. Personally, I went from not wanting to watch, to somewhat wanting to, to very excited again. The distraction of the NBA and this, has been excellent for me. When AD screamed out Kobe after game 2 vs Denver, when Coach Vogel said that was a mamba shot, man, we would not have these memories and moments. IF, big IF, this team wins another title in those mamba jerseys, how fitting would that be? Ut would be an exceptional memory. I don't want the pandemic and Kobe's passing to completely ruin the love I have for the Lakers.

I will say, It is definitely just a sport, so had the Lakers come up short this year, or say they lose this series in 7, I will get over it a lot earlier than I would have in the past. That is definitely the result of all the crap that has gone on in 2020.

[danzag]

[Batguano]