Luka Doncic would have been on the floor if he could.
The Los Angeles Lakers' season has come to an end after suffering a 115-110 loss as the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete a four-game sweep of the Western Conference Semifinals, keeping the Thunder's playoff-winning streak alive and sending the Lakers home.
It was a resilient effort by Los Angeles. With less than a minute left, the Lakers battled to hold a one-point lead, but the Thunder responded just as quickly with a dunk by Chet Holmgren and four-straight free throws to close the distance and end the game.
This series will be haunted by the absence of Luka Doncic, the Lakers' best player and one of the best players in the NBA this season, who was sidelined for the entirety of the playoffs due to a hamstring strain.
Without Doncic, the LeBron James-led squad pulled a surprising series victory over the Houston Rockets in the opening round of the playoffs and even though the team would have had a tough series against the Thunder even with Doncic, his absence made the task insurmountable.
Doncic Speaks Up
For Doncic, the frustrations of missing the postseason and having to watch his team suffer a sweep are still fresh and while he faced heavy criticism for not suiting up in the series at all despite his injury, he assured the media that if there was any chance he could have played, he would have.
"It's very frustrating. I know some people wanted me back. But obviously, I wasn't close to clearing. There was some stuff in the media that went out that wasn't true. Nobody of those people saw my MRIs," Doncic said to the media. "If I could be out there, I would be 100%. Everybody in that room knows that."
Even if the Lakers had been able to overcome the Thunder and take the series, Doncic wasn't projected to be healthy enough to play until at least the very end of what would have been the Conference Finals.
What Does the Offseason Hold?
For now, Doncic is looking ahead to an offseason of physical recovery and the resolution of some personal matters. He announced on Instagram after the game that he would not be playing for the Slovenian National Team this summer in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, primarily to spend as much time as possible with his daughters.
The Lakers have an uncertain future ahead of them as James will be a universal free agent and Deandre Ayton, Austin Reaves and Marcus Smart all have player options on their respective contracts.
The team may look completely different next season, but what they accomplished despite missing their superstar is still something to look back on favorably. Yet, the way that their season ended will continue to be dominated by what-ifs.