SUMMARY
- Darvin Ham sat with his team and shared some words on encouragement ahead of Game 4.
- The Lakers secured a Game 4 victory to push the series to Game 5.
The Los Angeles Lakers brought the version of themselves to Game 4 and managed to keep their season alive. Everyone on the roster had something to contribute to the game, especially Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The latter dominated the fourth quarter to extend the Lakers’ lead while Davis did a phenomenal job grabbing rebounds on missed shots.
Before the game, Darvin Ham had an emotional message for the Lakers. He said, “We’ve had great stretches against this team. We’ve played with good segments. We just never quite put together a complete game whether it’s a whole quarter or stretch of seven to eight minutes that we just kind of drop the ball. But tonight, we just stay until the end.”
He added, “You know, beautiful day to be alive in order to stay alive – that was the message yesterday and the message today. Just win one game, and we got to refocus, recalibrate, and have that same mindset going up at Denver.” LA was on an 11-game losing streak against the Denver Nuggets. This victory meant a lot for the Lakers, especially for James’ legacy as a second clean sweep would’ve not been well received.
Darvin Ham is still at risk of losing his position as Lakers’ coach
There is still a sense of uncertainty regarding Darvin Ham’s future with the Lakers organization. Throughout the season, Ham revealed that the front office and Jeanie Buss wanted him to stay and believed in him. However, one win won’t put away the plethora of issues they faced during the regular season. The Lakers may have gotten through the Play-In Tournament on the first try, but why face the elimination games in the first place?
Need Darvin ham gone in the summer
— 23 💫👑 (@Br0nToLA23) April 28, 2024
Ham dont trust his boys..
He is weak!!!— greg (@KingGre51391370) April 28, 2024
Fans have also urged the Lakers to fire Ham as one said, “Need Darvin Ham gone in the summer.” Another X user added, “Ham don’t trust his boys… He is weak!!!” These comments were in regard to a viral video of LeBron James begging Ham to challenge a non-call ahead of the last timeout in the fourth quarter. Throughout the series, Ham has expressed how much trust he has in his players, while this instance completely contradicts his words.
D’Angelo Russell throws major shade at Darvin Ham
D’Angelo Russell plays a bigger role as a third-scoring option than Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura. A majority of the Lakers’ wins during the regular seasons came with Russell performing well on offense. In Game 3, the All-Star point guard went scoreless in Game 3 and the Lakers took a major fall. Ham revealed that he still believes in Russell and that he expects him to show up in Game 4 and future matchups.
context👀 pic.twitter.com/8Nk3StqKeL
— FastBreakPhenom (@FastBreakPhenom) April 28, 2024
During the post-game press conference, Russell blatantly disrespected Ham’s support by saying, “I mean, I appreciate that [Ham’s support]. But, I believe in myself. Simple as that, more than anybody. I mean, I don’t need that [the support], but I appreciate that.” It has been a turbulent season for the guard being involved in trade talks and becoming the centerpiece of criticism along the way.
D’Angelo Russell looks mentally checked out warming up for tonight’s game
pic.twitter.com/vvyAPzss56— Lakers Loop (@lakersloop) April 27, 2024
But whether he likes it or not, D’Angelo will remain a key aspect of the Lakers’ success in the future. Videos of a disgruntled Russell during shoot around have surfaced on the internet. It doesn’t seem like Russell is enjoying his time in LA at the moment. However, it could be the pressure the Lakers are facing as the franchise’s name remains on the line.