LeBron James, Lakers Trolled by Fans for Being .500 for 1st Time This Season

The Los Angeles Lakers have climbed all the way back to .500 for the first time this season after Friday's 116-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite not having LeBron James during this stretch, the month of March has been very kind to the Lakers. They are 8-4 in 12 games this month and have moved up to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

Anthony Davis, who had 37 points and 15 rebounds in the win over the Thunder, wants the Lakers to stay focused after evening their record.

"We got to .500, now it's time to get on the other side and can have more wins than losses," Davis told reporters after the game. "So it starts Sunday. We got an opportunity to be a game above .500 against a good Bulls team."

Even though James, Davis and the Lakers are certainly happy about getting to .500, fans were happy to troll the team for celebrating being mediocre:

In a vacuum, yes, it's over the top to get excited about being .500. But looking at the overall picture for this Lakers team, it speaks to how much they have evolved over the course of the season.

There was a time not that long ago when it was easy to make jokes about the Lakers potentially having to send the No. 1 pick to the New Orleans Pelicans to get Victor Wembanyama.

Despite going long stretches without James and/or Davis available, the Lakers have been playing very well after starting the season 2-10. They are 35-27 since Nov. 13 and completely revamped their roster before the trade deadline.

The Lakers' ultimate ceiling is going to rest on whether or not James can return from his foot injury and what level he's able to play at if he does come back.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin reported on Thursday there is "increasing optimism" James could return for "a few" games in the final week of the regular season.

James didn't specifically deny the report, but he wrote on Twitter there's no target date for his return and he's "working around the clock" to come back.

In a season without any dominant team in the Western Conference and only three-and-a-half games separating the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers from the No. 12 seed Utah Jazz, this version of the Lakers with James and Davis might be the most dangerous team to play.

The Lakers have a fairly easy schedule remaining to keep improving their spot in the rankings. They have eight games left, with only two against clubs over .500 (Clippers, Phoenix Suns).

Next up for the Lakers is a home-and-home against the Chicago Bulls starting on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.