The world according to Jim:
• This week has been a prime example of what life is like for a Lakers fan these days – basically a mixture of torment and relief.
Down by 21 points to the Clippers, in the last regular-season meeting in their shared building on Wednesday night, they came back on the strength of LeBron James’ will to beat their hallway rivals. Then, faced with a back-to-back against the nine-win Washington Wizards, they spun their wheels for much of the night – 11 ties, 14 lead changes, trailed for a little more than 26 minutes of what turned out to be 53 – but again won, in overtime, with LeBron again imposing his will when it mattered most. …
• You think those who believe in Lakers Exceptionalism aren’t already worn to the nub? Their team is 33-28 in a season when both James and Anthony Davis have been relatively healthy (in terms of no extended absences), and they’re firmly in the play-in zone: Ninth place, 5½ games ahead of 11th-place Utah, 2½ behind sixth-place New Orleans.
Their longest winning streak is three games (five times, including the in-season tournament) and their longest losing streak is four (twice). They’re 0-2 against Denver this season and losers of seven straight overall to the Nuggets, including last spring’s playoff sweep. And wouldn’t it be just like them to knock off the champs Saturday night, before an ABC audience – and then turn around and lose four in a row. …
• The point: Expecting consistency from this group is a fool’s errand. …
• LeBron, the 39-year-old who absolutely doesn’t play like one, needs nine points to reach an astounding 40,000 for his career and should pick them up in the first half Saturday night. Where would the Lakers be without him? Don’t ask. …
• Remember when we speculated a few weeks ago that the supposed working group of Big Ten and SEC administrators and athletic officials to, ahem, “discuss” issues involving intercollegiate athletics might be…
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