The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the best teams in the NBA this year. As such, it came as little surprise that they made easy work of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
L.A. had been on a bit of a run heading into this one, beating other bottom-dwellers like the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards, but the Cavs are not on that level.
Anthony Davis’ exit in the first quarter exacerbated Los Angeles’ problems, obviously, but likely didn’t alter the final result all that much.
Donovan Mitchell led the way for Cleveland with 43 points, but there was one signature moment that really stood out.
With his squad up by double digits and a little over three minutes remaining, Mitchell delivered a brutal six-word message to the Lakers:
“Go home. Go the f–k home.”
Spida talking his talk after the big three 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NZ7JU2sEz5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 7, 2022
“Go home,” he said. “Go the f**k home.”
Yikes.
Beast mode – activated.
Mitchell has been a monster this year, that goes without saying. He has been killing it on the court and living it up with his girlfriend off it. But this outing says more about the Lakers than it does the Cavs.
After going home the Lakers really need to figure out what direction they want to go in right now. Yes, when Davis drops insane stat lines they can compete with the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks. But it is unrealistic to expect that he can do that for the entirety of the season. Heck, it’s unrealistic even expect that he can stay healthy that long at this juncture.
Los Angeles came into 2022-23 with a very clear objective: trade Russell Westbrook. Now, thanks to a fluke winning streak, they are looking at two other players they would prefer to trade instead of him.
That will not return them the sort of packages that will have a meaningful impact on this squad.
James has made it very clear who he wants the front office to get. That either needs to happen, or the Lakers should just be blown up for a rebuild.
The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/MskCQnTMzy
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 6, 2022
But this weird in-between zone, based on them beating a few bad teams and earning a lucky victory over the Bucks, is not good for anyone.
Will the Lakers be able to get back on track after this latest disappointment against the Cavs?
Time will tell.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
