The NBA tipped off Rivals Week on Monday and has scheduled some of the NBA’s best rivalries to face off this week. One of the marquee fixtures sees the two most successful teams in NBA history – the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics – face off against each other on Thursday.
LeBron James looked ahead to the matchup and shared what the Lakers intend to do against the reigning NBA Champions. He did admit that the Lakers are still learning to play with each other while the Celtics know exactly what they want to do.
“Be physical defensively, share the ball offensively. Communicate. I don’t think it’s even about Boston, Boston knows who they are. We are still learning and trying to get better at what we want to do. We’ll have a game plan in place for such a great team, but they’re in a different place than we are.”
LeBron James on the Lakers’ upcoming game against the Celtics: “Boston knows who they are. We are still learning and trying to get better with what we want to do” pic.twitter.com/usim3epcIG
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 22, 2025
The Lakers are 23-18 this season while the Celtics are 30-13, shaping up to remain a top-five team in the NBA heading into the Playoffs. The Lakers are still battling to ensure they have a spot in the Playoffs, currently occupying the No. 6 seed in the West.
His statement is entirely true, as the Lakers are definitely a group still looking for the perfect pieces and how they come together while the Celtics are running it back with the same roster that breezed to an NBA Championship win last season.
Imbibing a new system introduced by head coach JJ Redick was bound to take some time, so this matchup against the Celtics will serve as a major test for the franchise. If they lose or get blown out like the Golden State Warriors did against Boston, changes will be necessary to salvage any hopes of being competitive this season.
Lakers Have To Play ‘Perfect Basketball’ Against Contenders
LeBron’s comments about the Celtics don’t come as a surprise. The 40-year-old forward recently opened up on his frustrations on the Lakers not having any room for error against good teams because they aren’t constructed as well as the other contenders in the NBA.
“No, that’s not how our team is constructed. We don’t have room for error — for much error… We don’t have a choice. I mean that’s the way our team is constructed. We have to play close to perfect basketball. We know the game is never perfect, it’s never going to be a 48-minute perfect basketball game.”
Many people took this as a shot at Rob Pelinka and the front office. They acquired Dorian Finney-Smith in late December but it’s clear the team needs more quality additions, primarily at guard and center. Without that, the Lakers are going to continue fruitlessly chasing faultless games against contenders.
You might get a win or two in those situations, but it isn’t a sustainable way of contending in the NBA. It isn’t even a sustainable way to win a Playoff series, but it might be a lesson Pelinka and the front office need to learn the hard way with another disappointing season at the end of it all.
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