While the Los Angeles Lakers have captured the city behind decades filled with multiple NBA championships, the Los Angeles Dodgers have gained in popularity and closed the gap during their current five-year stretch.
The Dodgers this season won the National League West division a fifth consecutive year. Prior to their current run, the franchise had never won the division more than three times in a row. Despite the success, a World Series title has escaped the Dodgers.
The drought is in its 29th year, but this October has brought about a different buzz and feeling throughout the city. It’s predicated on the Dodgers pacing the Majors with 104 wins this season.
Another layer was added Sunday night to what’s been a thrilling year, as Justin Turner delivered a three-run, walk-off home run to beat the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
Turner’s heroics came in front of a capacity crowd at Dodger Stadium that included Lakers head coach Luke Walton. He touched on the culture and mindset manager Dave Roberts has established with the Dodgers, and expressed a desire to translate that to the Lakers, per Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times:
“I think what makes that team so good is that throughout the year they just kept finding ways to kind of get it done, and it was from different people on the roster. It wasn’t just certain stars carrying everybody. They’re definitely one of those successful teams that does it by everyone buying in, which is where we’re trying to get to.”
The Lakers begin their regular-season campaign on Thursday with a matchup against the Clippers. Multiple years of futility have resulted in high draft picks for the Lakers, the latest of which was turned into Lonzo Ball.
Along with Walton, Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance Jr., and other young talent, Ball has reinvigorated a fan base that’s pining for a return to the playoffs and run at an NBA title.
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