"The chosen ones" - Lakers fans react to Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic landing alongside LeBron James in iconic image of 3-1 finals comeback
LA Lakers fans look to LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Dorian Finney-Smith as they trail the Minnesota Timberwolves 3–1 in the Western Conference first round. The Timberwolves, led by Anthony Edwards, have been dominant so far. The Lakers will play them at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, as the team looks to mount an almost impossible comeback.
Throughout NBA history, teams down 3–1 in a playoff series have a record of 13-277. However, James achieved this feat with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Down 3–1 in the NBA Finals, James led the comeback to bring the Cavaliers their first-ever championship.
Fans have recreated LeBron’s iconic graphic from 2016 as they look to James, Doncic, Reaves, and Finney-Smith to defeat the Timberwolves. A fan shared the graphic on Reddit and wrote:
“#webelieveLAL.
“The chosen ones,” one fan wrote.
“Please just win. Both my NHL and NBA teams are down 3-1. Both play Game 5 within a couple hours. Idk what I’ll do if they both lose,” another fan wrote.
“If Lakers lose tonight, I will root for the Warriors and Jimmy Butler to get his ring,” one fan wrote.
One fan highlighted how the graphic was made to exclude Jaxson Hayes amid his poor form.
“Hayes not in the picture. When they talk about the starting lineup, they don’t even mention him anymore,” the fan wrote.
Lakers' comeback hopes ride on Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura
With the team down 3–1, LeBron James and Luka Doncic can be expected to take things up a notch as they've done so far in their careers. However, the Lakers will also need solid contributions from Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura if they hope to advance.
Reaves has been solid so far, with 17.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists, but is still some ways away from having the same impact that he did during the regular season. Rui Hachimura has faltered, scoring eight points in Game 3's loss and nine in Game 1's loss. LA will need Hachimura to do more of what he did in Game 4, when he recorded 23 points in the 116–113 loss.
Dorian Finney-Smith could likely get a ton of playing time, considering he is one of LA's best defenders. If these five players can rally together, the Timberwolves could be in for a surprise.
