"We had it. I always say this about culture, I always say this about a good team being a functioning organism."
"This [has] kind of been the trending thing even when we were winning. Obviously wins kinda shadow a lot of stuff. But it's been the same pretty much all year of how we finished games, lose games: transition defense, rebounding and stuff like that. It's been a trend all year."
"We don't have it right now."
The Lakers climbed the Western Conference standings while posting wins with injured LeBron James and Luka Doncic and celebrating Austin Reaves' 51-point performance. Team bonding activities and visible bench enthusiasm created a strong early vibe. The situation deteriorated suddenly, with three recent blowout losses averaging a 20.7-point margin and a season point differential of minus-15, ranked 16th. Players reported a disconnect and recurring problems with transition defense and rebounding. The late-season winning streak came mostly against teams with losing records, masking underlying, persistent issues in game finishes and team cohesion.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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