On February 16th, 2011, one of the most unlikely upsets in the NBA regular season occurred. The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers were matched up against the terrible Cleveland Cavaliers, who were the worst team in the league at the time. The Lakers had just drubbed the Cavs by 55 points the month before. Everyone expected an easy win for L.A. Instead, Cleveland prevailed by a score of 104-99, and Lakers legend Magic Johnson tweeted out a message that is still extremely relevant today:
This is what happens when you don't give Cleveland respect…@Lakers lose!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 17, 2011
History repeated itself on Sunday night when the Lakers lost again to the Cavs by a score of 101-95. L.A was shocked to lose to a team that is now just 9-35 and is considered weak even by Eastern Conference standards.
The Cavs were led by Cedi Osman, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight boards. However, Cleveland put together a great all-around team effort. Every one of their starters scored more than 15 points.
Los Angeles' best player on the night was Kyle Kuzma, who scored 29 points to go along with nine rebounds. Brandon Ingram also played well, scoring 22 points with seven boards.
The Lakers look like a completely different team without James. It truly is a testament to James' greatness that a team can fall so far without his presence.
Even though these two teams are trending in opposite directions, the Cavs turned the tables on the Lakers this time.
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