Im Still Ballin
04-05-2023, 10:36 AM
Damn.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have just played 5 full regular season games together in a row, for the first time since January 27th 2021, 798 days ago
The Lakers have been hit with a curse of not being able to play their two stars together for 5 full consecutive regular season games for almost 800 days, from January 27th 2021 to April 4th 2023. A shitty ass curse that I've been tracking for over a year that just wouldn't seem to end until now.
The full cursed, shitty, awful depressing timeline of events and my pain :
Early 2020/2021 : the defending champion Lakers fresh off a 7 week offseason look surprisingly spry, cruising to a 21-6 2nd best record in the league.
January 27th 2021 : last time Bron and AD play 5 straight full games in the regular season (until yesterday). AD was in and out of the lineup after that game with quad soreness.
February 2nd 2021 : AD goes down with a right heel and calf injury that keeps him out 30 games
March 20th 2021 : after holding down the fort without AD, LeBron injures his ankle and misses more than a month
April 22nd 2021 : AD returns
April 30th 2021 : LeBron returns ... for two games, before missing more time due to the ankle still being sore
May 15th 2021 : LeBron returns for good, but there are only 2 regular season games left in the season. The Lakers win the 7/8 play-in and face the Suns in round 1, but all hopes for a competitive series end when AD injures himself in Game 3 and aggravates it in Game 4. LeBron never looks 100% on that ankle for that series, having had just 3 games to ramp up.
Early 2021/22 season : AD is playing but LeBron is in and out of the lineup with groin pain
December 12th 2021 : LeBron finally plays 5 straight games for the first time that season, but AD misses a game with wrist pain when LeBron returns. He comes back and plays 2 games then goes down with an MCL sprain.
January 25th 2022 : AD comes back but LeBron misses time with soreness again.
February 16th 2022 : LeBron comes back and the pair play 4 straight regular season games together. My dumbass compiles this post thinking this awful stretch is finally over, but we still got more than a year to go baby, because in that 5th straight game, AD turns his ankle on Gobert's foot, and I cry myself to sleep.
April 1st 2022 : AD rushes back but by then LeBron is out with soreness and doesn't return for the rest of that godforsaken season. AD only plays 3 games anyway, clearly not close to 100%, and LA shuts him down as the Lakers miss the play-in.
Early 2022/2023 season : LeBron and AD play 4 straight games together but then LeBron misses a game with soreness. He returns a game later but misses 5 of the next 6 with injury/illness.
November 25th 2022 : LeBron returns to the lineup, but AD is rested one game with a wrist pain
December 6th 2022 : The pair plays 4 straight games and I prepare the post as they are both probable for the next game. They suit up ... and AD leaves with a weird stomach bug, throwing up in the tunnel. He returns the next game, and I shelf the post. They play the next 3 games and I get ready to update the post, when AD injures his foot badly and will miss several weeks, and I decide to give crack addiction a try because I need to escape this reality. AD finally returns after 20 games, and they play 2 games together before being rested.
February 7th 2023 : AD and LeBron have played 4 straight games together and my suffering is almost at an end, but LeBron decides to be a tease and is rested a couple of games with foot soreness.
February 26th 2023 : Westbrook is off the team, the new look Lakers look fun, LeBron and AD are on their 3rd straight game together and orchestrate a monster comeback against the Dallas Mavericks ... during which LeBron powers through a foot injury that makes him miss the next few weeks, seemingly out for the rest of the regular season and this mother****ing streak will extend until the heat death of the universe and existence is pain.
March 26th 2023 : LeBron makes a surprise return to the team against Chicago, weeks ahead of expectations.
April 4th 2023 : Having played 4 straight regular season games together, and both listed probable for a game in Utah, I dare not hope. I do not update the post. I will not jinx it again. They both play, and are up 10 points with 1:42 left in the game. 1 minute and 42 seconds until the pain stops. Until I can breathe again. Until the sun finally rises on this endless night. But of course, they decide I should experience edging once in my life, and choke the lead to add another interminable 5 minutes of OT to my near 800 days of pain. LeBron hits a layup at the end of OT, THT bricks a shot like the good ol days, and the Lakers dribble out the clock. It's over. It's finally over. They made it through 5 straight regular season games, in full, together, for the first time since January 2021. And they're 4-1 in that stretch with the loss being the game LeBron came off the bench for in his return.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have just played 5 full regular season games together in a row, for the first time since January 27th 2021, 798 days ago
The Lakers have been hit with a curse of not being able to play their two stars together for 5 full consecutive regular season games for almost 800 days, from January 27th 2021 to April 4th 2023. A shitty ass curse that I've been tracking for over a year that just wouldn't seem to end until now.
The full cursed, shitty, awful depressing timeline of events and my pain :
Early 2020/2021 : the defending champion Lakers fresh off a 7 week offseason look surprisingly spry, cruising to a 21-6 2nd best record in the league.
January 27th 2021 : last time Bron and AD play 5 straight full games in the regular season (until yesterday). AD was in and out of the lineup after that game with quad soreness.
February 2nd 2021 : AD goes down with a right heel and calf injury that keeps him out 30 games
March 20th 2021 : after holding down the fort without AD, LeBron injures his ankle and misses more than a month
April 22nd 2021 : AD returns
April 30th 2021 : LeBron returns ... for two games, before missing more time due to the ankle still being sore
May 15th 2021 : LeBron returns for good, but there are only 2 regular season games left in the season. The Lakers win the 7/8 play-in and face the Suns in round 1, but all hopes for a competitive series end when AD injures himself in Game 3 and aggravates it in Game 4. LeBron never looks 100% on that ankle for that series, having had just 3 games to ramp up.
Early 2021/22 season : AD is playing but LeBron is in and out of the lineup with groin pain
December 12th 2021 : LeBron finally plays 5 straight games for the first time that season, but AD misses a game with wrist pain when LeBron returns. He comes back and plays 2 games then goes down with an MCL sprain.
January 25th 2022 : AD comes back but LeBron misses time with soreness again.
February 16th 2022 : LeBron comes back and the pair play 4 straight regular season games together. My dumbass compiles this post thinking this awful stretch is finally over, but we still got more than a year to go baby, because in that 5th straight game, AD turns his ankle on Gobert's foot, and I cry myself to sleep.
April 1st 2022 : AD rushes back but by then LeBron is out with soreness and doesn't return for the rest of that godforsaken season. AD only plays 3 games anyway, clearly not close to 100%, and LA shuts him down as the Lakers miss the play-in.
Early 2022/2023 season : LeBron and AD play 4 straight games together but then LeBron misses a game with soreness. He returns a game later but misses 5 of the next 6 with injury/illness.
November 25th 2022 : LeBron returns to the lineup, but AD is rested one game with a wrist pain
December 6th 2022 : The pair plays 4 straight games and I prepare the post as they are both probable for the next game. They suit up ... and AD leaves with a weird stomach bug, throwing up in the tunnel. He returns the next game, and I shelf the post. They play the next 3 games and I get ready to update the post, when AD injures his foot badly and will miss several weeks, and I decide to give crack addiction a try because I need to escape this reality. AD finally returns after 20 games, and they play 2 games together before being rested.
February 7th 2023 : AD and LeBron have played 4 straight games together and my suffering is almost at an end, but LeBron decides to be a tease and is rested a couple of games with foot soreness.
February 26th 2023 : Westbrook is off the team, the new look Lakers look fun, LeBron and AD are on their 3rd straight game together and orchestrate a monster comeback against the Dallas Mavericks ... during which LeBron powers through a foot injury that makes him miss the next few weeks, seemingly out for the rest of the regular season and this mother****ing streak will extend until the heat death of the universe and existence is pain.
March 26th 2023 : LeBron makes a surprise return to the team against Chicago, weeks ahead of expectations.
April 4th 2023 : Having played 4 straight regular season games together, and both listed probable for a game in Utah, I dare not hope. I do not update the post. I will not jinx it again. They both play, and are up 10 points with 1:42 left in the game. 1 minute and 42 seconds until the pain stops. Until I can breathe again. Until the sun finally rises on this endless night. But of course, they decide I should experience edging once in my life, and choke the lead to add another interminable 5 minutes of OT to my near 800 days of pain. LeBron hits a layup at the end of OT, THT bricks a shot like the good ol days, and the Lakers dribble out the clock. It's over. It's finally over. They made it through 5 straight regular season games, in full, together, for the first time since January 2021. And they're 4-1 in that stretch with the loss being the game LeBron came off the bench for in his return.