Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Hamm believes his team is facing a 3-0 deficit in the 2023 Western Conference Finals series due to poor adjustments. Simply put, Hamm believes that the best mod is the best game.
“Sometimes the biggest adjustment is playing better,” Hamm told Sam Amick of The Athletic ahead of game four. “Sometimes that’s the most important adjustment. That’s fun, [how] It almost got cliched.”
According to multiple NBA betting sites, the Lakers now have the lowest championship odds among the four remaining playoff teams. The sportsbooks give better odds to the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics teams.
Darvin Hamm still has hope that the Lakers will lose 3-0. pic.twitter.com/WdvosGDNk9
– SportsCenter May 21, 2023
“[People say]”,” What are your mods, your mods, your mods? Lakers coach Darvin Hamm added. “Sometimes you go out there, take a long, hard look at the movie to clean up what you need to clean up, and try to do what you do best. You know, there’s a difference between strategy and individual performance.
“Sometimes you can have the right strategy but poor individual performance. You have to be able to navigate through it all, recognize and pinpoint exactly what is causing us to fail. Once you do, reveal it to the team in a simple format, and you’ll go out and do it.”
Lakers coach Darvin Hamm hopes his players will increase their performance in Game 4 against the Nuggets
The Lakers aim to become the first team in the NBA to overcome and win a 3-0 series deficit in a seven-game series. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are seeking their first NBA Finals appearance in their 47th season in the NBA. The 46 seasons making it to the Finals would be the most in league history and the third most in NBA/NHL/MLB history.
Furthermore, teams that are 0-3 behind in the NBA Playoffs have a 0-149 all-time record. This is the first time since 2013 that the Lakers have lost 3-0 in a playoff series. Their eight losses from their 0-8 all-time Game 4s record when they went down 3-0 in a seven-game series is the most losses without a win in NBA history.
Of course, NBA teams have an all-time 6-56 record in the series when trailing 2-0 in the Conference Finals, too. Two of the six Conference Finals series have been from teams led by LeBron James. Assisted MVP four times Cleveland Cavaliers Defeating the Detroit Pistons in 2007 and the Boston Celtics in 2018.
Darvin Hamm discusses # nuggets 3 shooting points # Lakers Defensive coverage and more ahead of Game Four. pic.twitter.com/uYH3HKfOyJ
– Spectrum SportsNet (SpectrumSN) May 23, 2023
James has a 10-1 series record in professional conference finals. His only loss in the series was against the Orlando Magic in 2009. Through 15 starts this postseason, the 19-time All-Star averaged 23.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.2 blocks and 38.1 minutes per game.
According to ESPN’s Basketball Strength Index, the Lakers have a 53.2% chance of defeating Denver in Game Four. The sportsbooks show Los Angeles as a 3.5-point favorite at home.