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The LA Lakers are tied with the Boston Celtics for the most NBA championships with 17. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the 2019-20 Lakers team won banner No. 17 when they defeated the Miami Heat in the “Bubble Championship.” James has repeatedly mentioned that his goal is always to add the record-breaking 18th to the Lakers’ rafters.
The best they could come up with since 2020 was reaching last season’s Western Conference Finals, where they were swept by the Denver Nuggets.
This season, the NBA In-Season Tournament was launched to add more meaningful games and excitement in November and December. After drubbing the New Orleans Pelicans in the semi-finals of the tournament, the Lakers are now a win away from becoming the inaugural champs.
Laker Nation, though, could hold their excitement about another banner-raising ceremony in Los Angeles. Arash Markazi reported:
“I’m told the Lakers currently have no plans to change their stance on only hanging banners for NBA championships. They don’t hang banners for Western Conference titles, Pacific Division titles, and (for now) potential NBA In-Season Tournament titles, only NBA titles.”
With the way the league has covered and introduced the NBA In-Season Tournament, it looks to have more prestige than conference or division titles. The players also have been going all out to win the championship. Notwithstanding the $500K top prize for the players, coaches and training staff, the bragging rights are also quite obvious. It remains to be seen if the LA Lakers will change their minds.
The Purple and Gold franchise has 19 conference championships and a staggering 33 division titles. Crypto.com Arena’s rafters will have no space left if they decide to put up banners for those achievements. Perhaps the banner as inaugural champions of the NBA In-Season Tournament will land a spot among their enviable reminders of greatness.
The LA Lakers will be the favorites against the Indiana Pacers
LeBron James showed that despite his GOAT-worthy resume, he remains hungry for championships. He had a blistering first half, scoring 21 points to lead the LA Lakers’ onslaught. After tonight’s incredible performance against the New Orleans Pelicans, they should be the favorites to become the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament champions.
The Indiana Pacers, though, will relish the underdog tag. They have had that status even before the competition started. Like the Lakers, they are undefeated in the entire tournament.
Indy’s path to the championship round, however, is arguably tougher than what the LA Lakers had to go through. The Pacers eliminated two of the elite teams from the Eastern Conference. They booted out the Boston Celtics in the quarter-finals before dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
The Lakers may be favored, but no one’s counting out the Indiana Pacers, who are led by rising superstar Tyrese Haliburton.
