CHICAGO - For Lakers fans, this must have felt like making a deal with the devil to acquire Luka Doncic and then the Grim Reaper shows up at the front door to take a swipe at LeBron James with a scythe.
Luckily for the purple-and-gold franchise, disaster was averted.
After exiting in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 111-101 loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday at the TD Garden, James downplayed the severity of his groin strain.
"Not much concern," he told reporters.
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LeBron is everything else but a doctor. So his words do not necessarily placate an anxious fan base who lived through the agony and seeing the King miss 17 games after injuring his groin in the 2018 season.
And the timing on this one is terrible as the Lakers navigate a treacherous schedule where they play six games in eight days including two meetings apiece against the 41-23 Denver Nuggets and the 36-27 Milwaukee Bucks.
Currently second in the Western Conference at 40-22, the Lakers could potentially drop to sixth place when this stretch is over. It's a grim picture that will shake LA more than the 4.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Southern California today.
This swift, unfortunate turn of events elucidated one thing we already knew: Luka will be the face of the Lakers in the next 15 or so years but for now it's still LeBron's team.
LEBRON IS THE LAKE SHOW.
While it's a scary thought for any franchise to rest its title hopes on the shoulders of an aging megastar with 22 years of NBA wear and tear, LeBron is clearly a notable exception.
At age 40, LeBron is the straw that stirs these Lakers, the machine that churns out leadership in the crucible of a championship chase.
Amazingly durable, LeBron has appeared in 58 of the Lakers' 62 regular season games thus far and he is killing it.
Averaging 27 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per, the four-time champion and 21-time All-Star is hitting 51.7 percent of his field goals including 38.4 percent from long distance.
The Lakers have yet to officially announce a timetable for LeBron's return but ESPN sources revealed that he will "out at least 1-2 weeks."
Given his age, the team will probably exercise an abundance of caution and give him more time to heal and recover.
For Laker Nation, the wait will feel like an eternity.
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