Any day now, the Los Angeles Lakers will be eliminated from the playoffs. They are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt but they haven't made any serious progress. They are riding a six-game losing streak at a time when they are in a neck-and-neck race with the San Antonio Spurs for a spot in the play-in tournament.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel offered a silver lining to the team's miserable season. Through all the disappointing games, injuries, rumors about players getting traded and a complete failure to live up to championship hopes, the team has continued to stick together and give good effort.

Touting a team's ability to play hard is the last resort for a coach of a struggling team. The Lakers were never meant to a beat that gets lauded just for playing hard. Sadly for Los Angeles, this is where they're out now. So many things went wrong that they are about to miss the playoffs altogether. Injuries to key players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis definitely played a part in the team's failure, but no one would have guessed they would be this bad.

Los Angeles is now 31-47 on the season, setting a new record for ineptitude for a LeBron James-led team. Even if they do sneak into the play-in tournament, losing swiftly would be the expectation for them. Vogel's attempt to keep things light is noble but no matter how he spins it, this season is a lost one.