Even nine years into his NBA career, Anthony Davis is still sometimes struck by how a childhood dream played out.
The big man of the Lakers took the bus to the arena on Instagram before a play-off match last season when he came across a report about how many post-season records his teammate LeBron James has. He sent a message to James for nostalgia and remembered another bus trip he had taken as a teenager from Chicago to Akron to attend James’ camp.
” When you first see her, you’re such an inspiration to us all, you may not know, ” Davis recalled writing on Sunday and sharing the message with reporters. ” And it’s crazy how everything comes in full circle, now we’re in the same team fighting for a championship. ‘”
Davis, James and the Lakers won that championship. Now that they had achieved the best record of the league early in the season, they began to consider the next part of the dream: a dynasty.
It’s a natural consideration to look at Martin Luther King Jr. Day to play a game with the Golden State Warriors. While Klay Thompson’s season-end injury has taken some air out of the game, it still offers a delivery: the last NBA dynasty to take on the team that could be the next one.
“I don’t want to say we took over: The Warriors won three out of four or so, so we haven’t reached that yet,” Davis said. “But I think whoever the defending champions are has the standard that every team wants to become.”
Despite the downside of a shorter off-season than any other team other than Miami, the Lakers (11-3), despite the downside of a shorter off-season, looked strong in their start, even though they rode on their backs. They scored an NBA-best 11-point margin in their games, and most said they did not have to extend their stars to score victories: No one on the Lakers averaged more than 32 minutes per game.
It’s not just this year that the Lakers are taking the fight: almost every significant player is under a multi-year contract. Davis has the longest contract until 2025, but James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are by 2023, and Kyle Kuzma is until 2024. Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol could stay with the Lakers next season. The biggest question mark left is Dennis Schröder, who has shown interest in signing an extension with the Lakers before heading to the free agency this summer.
With so many key pieces locked up, it’s natural for the Lakers’ ambitions to have a longer runway. According to Kuzma, the team is focused on the goal of winning its second championship together, which would create the basis for a special era. This group of nine returnees now knows how difficult it is to win one title – Kuzma cites the Spurs’ run under Gregg Popovich as inspiration.
“We’re trying to reach the plateau and reach a peak to continue to win championships – a difficult, high goal, but I think that’s what we’re all trying to do, ‘he said. ‘To see guys sign contracts, be part of a championship window and just try to make it happen. We have such a small time in the NBA and an even smaller window when we talk about dynasties, to really make it happen. ‘
The Warriors are scrapping at 6-6 after an injury that plagued the 2019-20 season, leaving them with the worst record in the NBA. Thompson’s latest setback has apparently cut off their chances of competing for another championship this year, but Steph Curry is still one of the league’s best scorers, and is third with 28.4 ppg as of Sunday afternoon.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said it was five years in a row after the final, it was difficult to rule at the end. He sees the Lakers in an idyllic part of their adolescence of a dynasty when they are still at the top of the world: for the Warriors, who in their second season translated to 73 wins after winning their first of three titles .
“They have the confidence that comes with winning a championship, and they do not have the fatigue that comes with winning multiple championships,” Kerr said. “It really is a lovely place.”
The Lakers seem to recognize that, too. James has gone to four finals in a row with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, which can help temper the feeling of invincibility. Kuzma and Davis both seem to think the Lakers are in the middle of a dynasty, but have admitted they have a chance to create one.
Davis thinks a lot about the day he sent the message to James, and how much anxiety he enters the locker room was worried that his teammate would mock him for being ‘soft’. But James said nothing until after the game itself, when he offered a similar sentiment, Davis said.
“It’s a great moment to be able to play with one of the guys you looked up to,” Davis said. “Especially now for the next few years.”