Winning a deal is not the same as winning a championship! After defeat to Thunder, Doncic admits the road to championship is still long

Translator's Note: The original article was published in The Athletic. The data in the article are as of the time of publication of the original article (November 13, local time), and the dates and times involved are local time.

Winning a deal is one thing. Winning a championship is another story.

Nico Harrison was fired this week, officially confirming what has already been true: The Lakers' future was undoubtedly changed when they traded for Luka Doncic on February 1, 2025.

Since that day, the Lakers have begun to climb back into the real championship ranks, and in the first 11 games of this season, they have made some positive progress. But after 48 minutes Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, it was clear they were nowhere near the top. And the gap between the Lakers' current level and the Thunder's ceiling may continue to widen.

The Thunder just defeated the Warriors 126-102 on Tuesday, and then on the second night of a back-to-back, without starters Jaylen Williams and Lu Dort, they crushed the Lakers 121-92.

"Quite frankly, they beat us up tonight," Lakers guard Austin Reeves said, "and there's still a lot of games to play. We felt like we could get to that level. It's just tonight, we were nowhere near that level."

Wednesday was the 85th consecutive game in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored at least 20 points. The new Most Valuable Player was the most unstoppable player on the court, leading the Thunder to their 12th win in 13 games - a winning rate that would put them on pace for more than 75 wins this season. He scored 30 points and didn't play a second in the fourth quarter -- the seventh time this season he didn't have to play in the final 12 minutes.

The Thunder limited Doncic's scoring to only 19 points, and Reeves only scored 13 points. Both of them set season lows. After the game, both players took responsibility for the loss.

While Doncic was going through this difficult night, the Mavericks also fired Harrison, who originally traded him to the Lakers. Earlier in the day, Maxi Kleber, another member of that trade, noted that the NBA is a fast-paced business for players, coaches and executives.

Doncic publicly responded to the news for the first time, saying that his attention is now fully focused on the Lakers.

"The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they will always have a special place in my heart. I thought I was going to be there forever, but I didn't," he said. "So, that's always going to be a special place for me. I'll always call it home. But now. I'm focused on the Lakers and trying to move forward. But obviously, a part of me will always be there. But I'm just trying to move forward and focus on what I'm doing here."

The focus now is to get the Lakers into the same top tier as the Thunder.

When the Thunder won their first NBA championship in Oklahoma City this offseason, critics criticized the team's quiet response. But after 13 games this season, they show no signs of championship hangover. Lakers players and staff marveled at the hunger the Thunder showed on Wednesday, a team that has proven it's the best and is now proving it once again at a sprint pace.

In a game full of mismatches, there is one mismatch that stands out and best reflects this advantage.

The Lakers are competing against the Thunder, while the Thunder are competing against bigger goals. They are challenging the extremely high standards they set last season and seem fully capable of exceeding them.

This can be seen from a strictly executed foul ball tactic in the second quarter, when the Thunder already led by more than 30 points. That was evident early in the second half, too, when Gilgeous-Alexander raised his hand to his forehead headband in frustration after missing an open 3-pointer with his team leading 76-41.

"He's a killer." Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Gilgeous-Alexander.

For the Lakers, this was their second loss in the last three games. Doncic pointed to the team's energy and physicality as the main reasons they have faltered in the first three games of this five-game road trip.

"I think you have to look at the big picture and look at where the team is right now. And I think, as far as our performance, it was not a great road trip for us," Doncic said. "The second half against the Hornets, I liked what I saw. But the game against the Hawks And tonight's game, I don't think it's reflective of what this team is going to be, but it's clearly what this team is now, so we have to correct the course."

The gap between the two teams was evident Wednesday, even with both teams missing key pieces. Maybe LeBron James can bridge the gap. But for now, the Lakers can only look to the Thunder, the best team in the league that continues to climb.

"I don't think it's a concern. I think it's more like a huge motivation," Doncic said. "Like I said, they're the champions for a reason, and that's a huge motivation. I think they're off to an even better start this year. Seeing the way they're playing and trying to stop them is a huge motivation in itself."

Author: Dan Woike

Translator: GWayNe