win

On the other, no one inside the Lakers locker room would dare compare the two, the first definitely still a novelty the Lakers would’ve happily traded, prize money and all, for even a long shot chance to win the big title in the spring.

And while the Lakers gladly accepted the hardware and the cash bonus that came with last season’s win, the team lost 10 of its next 13 games — the stretch that set the stage for the team to eventually fire Darvin Ham and the entirety of his coaching staff.

“I expect our guys to be highly competitive. Said this a number of times last year, you don’t need to give a reason to competitive people to compete,” he said Wednesday after the Lakers’ third straight win.

The goal is, of course, to win every game.

“For me personally, there’s much bigger news out of San Antonio right now and that’s my dear friend Coach Pop,” James said after the Lakers’ 128-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.