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Lakers lack of heart is embarrassing to legends of the franchise
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- Lakers lack of heart is embarrassing to legends of the franchise
The Lakers were supposed to honor Showtime on Sunday afternoon. Instead, nostalgia turned to nausea after they were run off their own floor, humiliated 111-89 by the Celtics.
The loss was so bad – the Celtics didn't even have its best player in Jayson Tatum – that several of the Showtime Lakers in attendance for their old head coach's statue unveiling voiced their anger and displeasure with the team.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic moves the ball as center Deandre Ayton provides coverage against Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Legendary point guard Magic Johnson called the Lakers performance "tough to watch."
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His old running mate, James Worthy took it a step further.
Worthy, a Hall of Famer who understands what that purple-and-gold fabric represents, didn't dress up his disgust on Spectrum SportsNet. He called it what it was.
"This game to me wasn't about stats… no heart, weak," Worthy said, his voice cutting sharper than any highlight package. "It's the Boston Celtics… to me, no respect for the uniform. When you come out and get out-rebounded, offensive rebound after offensive rebound, you can sniff out weakness. And that's what the Celtics did."
Inside the building, you could feel it.
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The Celtics smelled blood early.
Jaylen Brown bullied the Lakers on both ends. Payton Pritchard darted around and drained six threes en route to 30 points.. The Lakers, fully healthy, were outrebounded, outhustled and, most damningly, outworked.
This wasn't about shot selection or offensive rhythm. It was about pride.
The Lakers rank 24th in defensive rating at 116.7 — a number that reflects what Worthy saw with his own eyes. Defense is effort. Rotations are communication. Rebounding is will. On Sunday, those traits were absent.
"We have to match the physicality on the defensive end," said Lakers superstar Luka Doncic .
Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over guard Hugo Gonzalez of the Boston Celtics in the first half of a NBA basketball game at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News) MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Worthy played in games where this rivalry felt like war. He wore that uniform like armor. So when he says this group disrespected it, that's not commentary. That's an indictment.
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The Lakers return Tuesday against the Magic. Will they respond to Worthy's harsh criticism? Or will they confirm what the franchise legend already fears — that the name on the front means less to them than it should.
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