It's official, LeBron and Co. have made the Conference Finals for the first time since Kobe in 2010. This is a landmark accomplishment for Lakers fans, as they didn't really have much to be excited about until just two seasons. After acquiring The King from Akron, they didn't find much success as they didn't even make the playoffs. Los Angeles decided that it was time for a reboot and blew up their roster by trading Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks (including a 4th overall pick) for Anthony Davis. This was a much awaited move, as rumors had it that LeBron and AD were talking throughout the season on how to team up together.
From not making the playoffs to clinching the 1-seed in the west with five games left, the Lakers have made a considerable improvement. This was the 17th time in franchise that they clinched the first seed in their conference, and they heaved the O'Brien trophy 9 out of the previous 16 times. If they can pull it off this year as well, they will be able to tie the Celtics for the most championships in the NBA at seventeen.
The number 17 keeps showing up for LeBron, as he's also in his seventeenth year in the league. For the first time in his career, he leads the league in APG at 10.8. James has been able to form two of the league's best duos with AD and Rondo. The Lakers are on the road to a championship if they can keep up the effort that they've been showing these playoffs.