Here’s What Losing In The Conference Finals Means For The Lakers & Celtics

Were the conference finals insane or what, you guys? I mean, in the West, for the Nuggets, the Joker averaged a 28-point triple-double for the series while his partner in crime, Jamal Murray, turned back into Bubble Murray as he averaged nearly 33 points on shooting splits of 53% for the field, 41% from three, and 95% at the free-throw line. Then for the Lakers, a 38-year-old LeBron James led his team in points and assists as he nearly averaged a triple-double Oh, and the man also scored 31 points in a single half. Man, talk about escaping father time. Anyway, in the East, Jimmy Butler is reminding the basketball world just what being competitive means as he completely dismantled the Celtics with his sheer will alone. Also, the Heat as a whole are showing the NBA that undrafted players are completely underrated. I mean, in that Game 3 victory, the top three scorers on either team were Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, and Caleb Martin. Sheesh, guys. In a game with three all-NBA players, the top three scorers were undrafted. How crazy is that? Anyway, it's unfortunate that there could only be one winner at the end of each postseason, and today, we'll go over just what losing means for both the Lakers and the Celtics. I'm gonna start off here with the Los Angeles Lakers. So, although they got swept 4-0 by the Joker, losing doesn't mean that the season was a failure. Not at all. I mean, at one point to start the season, they were like 2-10 and were tied with the Houston Rockets for the worst record, not just in the West, but in the league. So, from being there and going all the way to the Western Conference Finals, that's a pretty big achievement in and of itself. Knowing LeBron, though, anything short of a championship is a failure for him, and here's what the Lakers must do in order to truly be in that championship conversation next season. First off, they need to get rid of D'Angelo Russell and acquire Kyrie Irving. I mean, the two guards are getting paid roughly the same amount of money, both in the 30 millions, but the difference is, one is a proven shot-maker in the playoffs who gets buckets, while the other seems to shrink when the lights shine the brightest. Both of them are also free agents in the offseason, and although Kyrie signing with the Lakers would be a big blow to Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers shouldn't care about that and should do everything they can to get Uncle Drew to wear the purple and gold. I mean, Kyrie and LeBron completely dominated the East when they were together in Cleveland, and when you throw in Anthony Davis into that equation too, then my, oh, my. One thing is for sure, if this acquisition happens, there is no way that John Morant is finding the West anymore. If anything, he's gonna be in big trouble, but anyway. Los Angeles was also Kyrie's preferred destination before his trade to Dallas, so Rob Pelinka just has to get this done. With Kyrie in the mix, even if LeBron is 39 next year, this is going to be a frightening team. Two players they gotta re-sign are Austin Powers and Rui Hachimura. I mean, Reeves was their best three-point shooter who could also attack the rim, while Hachimura proved to be not just a deadly mid-range shooter, but a versatile defender as well. Then from there, they gotta fill the gaps and build a decent bench. Lucky for them, the 2023 free agent list is quite deep and features players like Seth Curry, Joe Ingalls, Yuta Watanabe, and much, much more. Oh, and Dylan Brooks is also a free agent, and although he and LeBron had all that beef going on in the first round, the truth is, LeBron also once paired up with Lance Stevenson, the man who blew it his ear. You know, if Brooks can start hitting his threes and keep defending the way he's defending, but tone down his aggressiveness, he can arguably be one of the best pickups this offseason. In China, that is. Oh, and another thing. So, as we all have heard in his exit interview, LeBron hinted at retirement. I don't know who he was trying to fool, but guys, LeBron ain't retiring anytime soon. The man who just nearly averaged a 28-triple-double in the Western Conference Finals is clearly still a dominant force, even in his late 30s, and he still has to complete his dream of playing with Bronny in the NBA. He was probably hinting at retirement so the Lakers front office would do whatever they can to build the roster that he wants around him. What a sneaky move. But hey, that's why they say he's always playing chess and not checkers. Anyway, next up we have the Boston Celtics. Losing in the Conference Finals to the Miami Heat means that changes must be made. I mean, a team with two all-NBA players, one all-defensive player, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year, and a former five-time All-Star who's one of the best stretch fives in the game today, a team with all this talent should not be losing to an eighth seed that's made up of 50% undrafted players. I know Jimmy is a different animal, but this should not have happened for the ones wearing green, and it's a colossal embarrassment. I think Magic Johnson said it right when he tweeted, in my 44 years of being associated with the NBA, I'd never thought I'd see a Boston Celtics team, a franchise with 17 championships, quit. I know Celtics fans all over the world must be disgusted and devastated. Honestly, I couldn't agree more, and going into the off-season, a big change they have to make immediately is firing Joe Mizzoula, and honestly, having him as the head coach was a huge mistake in the first place for several reasons. First off, he lacks experience. I mean, not only is he a first-year head coach, but the man's only 34 years old. Al Horford is even older than he is, and arguably has better leadership skills too. And a big example of how a lack of experience is creating a disaster for the Celtics is the fact that Mizzoula himself said in an interview that there is a disconnect between himself and the locker room. This is a lot more common when you have a coach that's younger than some players. Then also, did y'all know that Joe Mizzoula once played against Butler in college, where Butler eliminated him in the Big East tournament? That must be such a psychological advantage for the man they call Himmy Butler. Anyway, second off, Mizzoula isn't ready for the big stage. Again, this relates back to his experience and age, but you can't have a 34-year-old first-year head coach be the leader of one of the top teams in the NBA. I mean, he can coach the OKC Thunder, he can coach the Orlando Magic, the Detroit Pistons, the Rockets, but to trust him in the Western Conference Finals against a master tactician like Eric Spolstra, who's been to five finals, is just asking for trouble. Boston is being outcoached, and they're pretty much just relying on the talents of their stars at this point. If you don't believe me, just look at game seven against the 76ers. Their game plan was pretty much just give the ball to Tatum all game and let him do his thing. Anyway, luckily for the Celtics, a bunch of Hall of Fame coaches have just been fired, so they could easily get an elite coach back into the mix, but this time, they really need to keep him on the team. I mean, their two-star players in Tatum and Brown have already rotated through three head coaches in their short career, and that can't be good for chemistry and goodwill. But moving on here, aside from the coaching change, I'm not too sure if any other changes need to be made. I know they got their rear ends handed to them, but the truth is, they had the second best record in the league this year, and they came back from a 3-2 deficit against the 2023 MVP, Joel Embiid. The Celtics are a great team, but sometimes you just lose to a team that you shouldn't lose to. I mean, if y'all played basketball or any forms of competition, sometimes you just have a bad stretch, or sometimes another team just has an incredible stretch. Losing and letting your emotions get the best of you than making big roster changes sometimes isn't the best course of action. Sometimes you just need round two. Look at the 2013 and 2014 Spurs, for example. In 2013, they lost in seven games to LeBron James and the Miami Heat, but they didn't lose their heads and make any crazy roster changes. In fact, the very next year, with pretty much the same roster, they came back and whooped them in five. And so it is with the Boston Celtics. Last year, they were good enough to be the second-to-last team standing, and this year, they were good enough to be part of the Final Four, but just had one bad series. Anyway, changing Coach Mezula is a must, but when it comes to the players on the team, the Celtics should honestly make as little changes as possible, because the truth is, this is a championship-caliber team. Oh, and there is one thing I gotta mention. Grant Williams should really not trash-talk Jimmy Butler. I mean, why would you give a playoff superstar like Butler any more reasons to go off? And if you're wondering what I mean, then you need to watch this video right over here.