Does Boston Winning an 18th NBA Title Change the Dynamic for the Lakers?

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

Yeah, everyone saw. In a series that was about as lacking in drama as a series could have, the Boston Celtics polished off the Dallas Mavericks Monday night to win an 18th NBA title, putting them back ahead of the Lakers for most in league history.

And it doesn't take a crackerjack NBA analyst to note that they are in much better position to keep adding to that total than the Lakers.

There may be nothing that crystalizes the emphasis Lakers Nation places on titles more than watching the Celtics win one. As Kobe noted, the fear of losing is a much bigger driver than the joy of winning. That doesn't apply in exactly the same way for fans, but tolerance for the current state of things will be a lot lower for a while than it would have been had Dallas won, or some other team kept Boston out of the Finals, or if the path for the Lakers felt more clear. To be fair, the Lakers aren't terrible. But they're at least a step behind multiple teams in the Western Conference, have an aging star in LeBron James, and no obvious path to join the truly elite squads.

Does this change anything for how the Lakers approach the offseason? Does it change the level of tolerance fans will have if Boston, as expected, keeps being awesome while the Lakers seem to run in place?

Meanwhile, a new wrinkle in the NBA rule book allows teams to start engaging with their own free agents as soon as the Finals ends. Well, that's now. Could the Lakers move early on some key players? How might the landscape shift before the big free agency period begins?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Boston wins. BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

SEGMENT 2: Does a dominant Boston squad change the way the Lakers, or Lakers fans, view things?

SEGMENT 3: A new wrinkle for free agency.

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