LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took control of their Western Conference semi-finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, May 6, courtesy of a 127-97 victory.
Following the Lakers’ big victory, LeBron James discussed the fickle nature of the NBA and how narratives can flip in an instant, depending on the outcome of any given game. Also, how some of his younger teammates can navigate the media cycle during a deep postseason run.
“Well, I think just for the young guys that haven’t been a part of the postseason or haven’t much experience in the postseason, just stay off the TV and stay off social media,” LeBron James said. “You win a game, everybody is the greatest player in the world, lose a game, and they throwing dirt on you. It’s literally that simple. It’s all about training your mind for the next challenge, you know, what’s the next challenge?
“This game is over with, we played well, ok, cool, but we got another one on Monday. If you got a show to watch or one of your favorite movies, or if you like listening to music, or if you reading books, whatever the case my be, or playing cards with the family, whatever. But stay off social media. And when you watch the other playoff games, watch it on mute and play some music in the background. That’s what I do.”
LeBron James has been in the NBA for 20 seasons and has made it to the playoffs in 16 of those seasons, enjoying multiple NBA finals runs and winning four championships. With that level of experience, LeBron James’ presence within a locker room will be invaluable to some of the Lakers’ younger players, especially as their playoff run progresses and they enter the deep waters of a conference finals or the championship series.
Magic Johnson credits the Lakers’ adjustments
The NBA playoffs are all about adjustments, as both teams treat the series like a game of chess, with each coach taking a turn to make a move and see how their opponent reacts.
For Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, his latest move was to have his team play smaller for stretches of their latest game against the Warriors. He opted to give Lonnie Walker IV some additional run in the rotation – earning praise from legendary point guard Magic Johnson.
Now, it will be the Warriors’ turn to make some adjustments as they look to limit the impact of the Lakers superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both of whom had a big night in their team’s May 6 victory, combining for 46 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists to punish a Warriors defense that has looked porous at times.
Still, the series is far from over, despite the Lakers holding a 2-1 lead, and now both teams will begin to prepare for game four of their Western Conference semi-finals matchup. The game is set to take place on Monday, May 8, at the Crypto.Com arena in Los Angeles.
