The first two weeks of April feature the end of two huge things on the basketball calendar every year: the NCAA Tournament and the NBA’s regular season. Right after the college basketball season reaches its conclusion, the NBA ramps up its race for a championship, something that has an extra layer of intrigue now that the play-in tournament exists.
A major domino fell in the race for the play-in on Tuesday night, as the Los Angeles Lakers were officially eliminated from postseason contention thanks to a 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns. It knocked L.A. to 31-48 on the year, putting them three games back of the San Antonio Spurs for the 10-seed in the Western Conference.
In the immediate aftermath of the loss, one of the best things about the NCAA Tournament made its way to the NBA, as someone took the song “One Shining Moment,” put it over a whole bunch of clips of this Lakers season, and tweeted it out.
It’s over.
One Shining Moment.
The 2021-2022 Los Angeles Lakers.pic.twitter.com/4Ip7JxK85e— who did this’ fam (@LakerFan9888102) April 6, 2022
It’s a stunning fall from grace for the team that entered this season with the second-best odds to win a championship — interestingly enough, the only team with better odds were the Brooklyn Nets, which are also headed to the play-in tournament.