The Lakers bowed out of the race for the Western Conference play-in tournament with a 121–110 loss to the Suns on Tuesday.
L.A.’s seventh-straight defeat brought an end to the team’s chances at making the playoffs, but it only increased the amount of criticism that the preseason title hopefuls received. One of the best reactions to the Lakers’ postseason elimination came from the Pelicans.
New Orleans, who clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with a win on Tuesday, dusted off a three-year old reference to troll Los Angeles on social media. The Pelicans tweeted out “That’s All Folks!” after the Lakers lost on Tuesday, harkening back to when L.A. star Anthony Davis wore a shirt with that same slogan after New Orleans missed out on the playoffs during the 2018–19 season.
Of course, Davis played for the Pelicans during the early part of his career from 2012 to ’19, meaning he wore the “That’s All Folks” shirt when he was still technically a member of the organization. He made a very public trade request during that year’s campaign and was ultimately traded to the Lakers for a bevy of players and draft picks in July 2019.
This spring, the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak. New Orleans will have a chance to play its way into the Western Conference playoff field while Los Angeles heads into an offseason with more questions about the future than answers.
