LAS VEGAS — Fresh off of winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament, the Lakers are set to embark on another first.
Avoiding a letdown in focus and performance after winning the first NBA Cup is the next task for the Lakers (14-9) as they return to the normal groove of the 82-game regular season, starting with Tuesday night’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks that kicks off a three-game Texas road trip.
“Like we handle our business all the time,” Coach Darvin Ham responded when asked how the Lakers plan to navigate the upcoming week. “We just stay locked in step, keep our rhythm together, understand that no matter what, we have to be the most competitive, together, accountable team on the floor, and then within that realm we have to bring the energy, the effort and the discipline.”
The joy and excitement were palpable from the Lakers inside their locker room and celebration area after beating the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Champagne showers were had. Music blasted throughout the locker room. Questions about how Lakers players would spend their monetary reward for winning the tournament ($500,000 for players signed to standard NBA deals, $250,000 for players on two-way contracts) were asked.
Similar to how certain games during the tournament had the intensity of playoff games, the celebration felt like a team that won the ultimate prize.
“This is a great source of positive stimuli for us with this group, trying to come together with guys coming from being inactive to being active and being in rhythm, the continuity and also the heightened awareness because we’re playing an In-Season Tournament,” Ham said. “Just everyone being able to have their competitive spirit revealed and people, their comrades to see their competitive spirits was a huge shot in the arm for us.
“Our group needed this and we needed to win this. We’ll be okay, trust me.”
The external questions and concerns about how the Lakers will look coming out of the tournament have less to do with the makeup of their team but are more of an acknowledgment that natural letdowns can happen after being locked in on a goal.
It’s also an acknowledgment of how dominant the Lakers were during the tournament. They were a perfect 7-0 in tournament play, winning each game by an average margin of 19.3 points.
“Every moment we grew,” tournament MVP LeBron James said. “Guys have felt a lot more comfortable in their roles. We’ve had a pretty good understanding of rotations. You know who you’re going to be playing with and you know what you guys want to do out on the floor.
“Getting [Jarred Vanderbilt] back, getting Rui [Hachimura] back has helped our frontcourt, our size, and getting Cam [Reddish] back has helped us a lot. Cam has been big-time for us and I’m happy to see him thrive under this role with us because he deserves it.”
But now, it’s back to normal, with a game against the Mavericks (13-8) and matchups against the San Antonio Spurs (3-18 through Sunday) on Wednesday and Friday waiting for the Lakers.
“The joy you saw is authentic,” Ham said. “The competitiveness is authentic. We know, we are well aware of what’s waiting on us on this road trip. Make no mistake about it, each and every night in this league is not easy anymore. There [are] no sleepwalk games.
“Everybody is coming to play hard. They are going to force you to execute, force you to play with toughness and togetherness and competitiveness in order to secure a win. It’s not going to be a layup.”
BANNER
The Lakers will hang a single In-Season Tournament banner to recognize winning the NBA Cup.
While the franchise famously doesn’t hang division or conference title banners like most NBA teams, the Lakers want to honor the moment of winning the inaugural tournament with the understanding that it’s separate from its NBA championships.
And with how much the league has invested in the new competition, it’s likely any team that won the tournament was going to hang a banner to recognize the achievement.
The banner will be a different shape and color than the team’s existing gold NBA championship banners to make it unique and there will be one tournament banner, so any additional years would be added to the banner if they win the competition again in the future.
The Lakers will unveil the banner at their next home game against the New York Knicks on Dec. 18, when they will also honor James and Anthony Davis for being named to the 2023 NBA In-Season All-Tournament Team.
James averaged 26.4 points (56.8% shooting), eight rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.6 steals across the seven tournament games. Davis averaged 23.3 points (52.5% shooting), 14.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.9 blocked shots and a steal in the tournament. He had 41 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in the win over the Pacers.
The All-Tournament Team, which was chosen without regard to position, was selected by a 20-person media panel and was based on performances in both group play and the knockout rounds.
James and Davis, along with Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, were on all 20 ballots. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant. was also named to the All-Tournament team.
VINCENT UPDATE
Guard Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion – swollen joint), who has been sidelined for most of the season, is “hopeful” for a return as soon as the Dec. 18 game against the Knicks, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Monday morning, citing unnamed leagues sources.
Vincent, who has been limited to just four games, hasn’t played since the Oct. 30 home victory over the Orlando Magic.
LAKERS AT MAVERICKS
When: Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV/Radio: TNT, Spectrum SportsNet, 710 AM
