Kyrie Irving: 'I Feel' for LeBron James with Lakers Poised to Miss Playoffs

The 30-36 Los Angeles Lakers are playing out the string of a lost season, a fact made more evident by their 120-107 home loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

After the game, Celtics All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving provided his thoughts to reporters about his ex-Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James' trying first season in L.A.:

Irving knows what it's like to be the star of a losing team, as his Cleveland Cavaliers averaged just 26 wins per game over his first three seasons. Irving hasn't missed the postseason since in an impressive run, but seeing James miss the playoffs would be a shocking result. The NBA's fourth all-time leading scorer has been in the postseason every year since 2006.

Injuries have played a large part in the Lakers' struggles. James missed 17 straight games with a groin strain earlier this season, and the team went just 6-11 during that span.

Point guard Lonzo Ball has been out since Jan. 19 with an ankle sprain and bone bruise, and the team is 5-14 since that date.

Third-year forward Brandon Ingram, who had averaged 27.8 points per game in six post-All-Star break games, is out for the season with deep venous thrombosis in his right arm. He also missed seven games with a sprained ankle earlier in the year.

Backup point guard Rajon Rondo has missed more than half of the season with injuries, and second-leading scorer Kyle Kuzma has been out with an ankle injury.

Unless your team name is the Golden State Warriors, chances are you aren't going to keep overcoming long stretches without a superstar player or key starters. The Lakers aren't an exception, leading to a season almost certain to end without a playoff berth for the sixth straight year.

Off the court, the cloud of the Anthony Davis trade rumors has hung over the team all season, with Ingram, Kuzma, Ball and others prominently linked.

It's frankly looked like an exhausting year in Los Angeles, which has featured extreme highs (e.g. the team's resounding win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Christmas) and resounding lows (e.g. the injuries and defeats). Given that Irving has been through losing seasons and a bit of an up-and-down season in Boston himself, it's understandable why he feels for his ex-teammate.