Winning the inaugural in-season tournament last year, the Los Angeles Lakers set a precedent for the rest of the league. Despite LeBron James being a billionaire, he had his eyes set on the prize from the get go, “I heard there’s $500K on the line, so we’re going for that.” Although the King achieved his goal and etched his name in the history books as the first ever in-season tournament MVP, his victory came at a hefty price. Introducing the Lakers to the harsh reality, media veteran Trevor Lane advised them to not repeat last year’s mistake.

During the Lakers Nation podcast, Lane addressed how the in-season tournament win might have played a part in their downfall during the playoffs. “I am curious though because I think they burned out a little bit too much gas in the tank,” he said. With complete focus on winning the tournament, the Lakers went 7-0 in the games that were part of the event. Because of it, they looked like the best team in the league for a brief period. However, as the adrenaline wore off after they lifted the NBA Cup, there was a steep decline in their performance and the Lakers lost ten of their next fourteen games. “I think that is what ultimately cost them the season.” Lane remarked.

Knowing the consequences of going full throttle early in the season, Trevor expects a different approach from the Lakers this year, “I don’t have the Lakers repeating as NBA Cup Champions.” Obviously, spending all their energy in the seven-game tournament so early in the season, the Lakers might not have anything left to give for the rest of the year. Especially when LeBron is nearing the age of 40. Moreover, the Lakers might no longer have the added motivation to win as they already created history last year by becoming the first to lift the cup. So, it’s time to focus on the ultimate goal of winning a championship.

Lakers’ in-season tournament group this year

Although Trevor doesn’t want the Lakers to gun for the NBA Cup this year, he still expects them to take the tournament seriously. More so because most of the games also count in the regular season record. Keeping that in mind, the Lakers need to win as many games as they can for a chance to bag a higher seed than last year. But the journey will not be that easy. Part of their tournament group this year are some elite teams, including the OKC Thunder, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Utah Jazz.

So, the Lakers might need another epic run from LeBron James who was unstoppable in last year’s tournament. He averaged 26.4 points and eight rebounds in the seven games. Moreover, he made his teammates better by dishing out seven assists on average. As you would remember, they finished the season as the seventh seed and were forced to face the Nuggets in the first round. So, whether or not they lift the NBA Cup this year, its important for them to bag at least a top four seed so that they get the home court advantage and a relatively easier opponent in the first round. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger