Jae Crowder and LeBron James engaged in big battles during the 2021 NBA playoffs. The Phoenix Suns surprised the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, eliminating them in six games, with Crowder having big participation.
He had the difficult job of guarding LeBron James, starring in very entertaining moments during the series. The King teased the Suns’ big man on social media and the court, trying to make spectacular plays to embarrass Crowder whenever he had the chance.
In the end, the Suns’ player had the last laugh, though. He defeated the best player in the world in six games to start their magical playoffs journey. Now that the Suns are in the Western Conference Finals, Crowder opened up about his battles with LeBron, revealing his tactics to guard the 4x NBA champion.
He gave his props to the Lakers’ No. 6, calling him the best player in the NBA right now. Still, that didn’t mean he would let the man win. Crowder tried to get under his skin to get the victory, which ultimately happened.
“I’m up for the challenge. I don’t know what else to say, I mean, wanna guard the best player because I wanna give my team the chance to win. I feel like I do a good job just making it tough. (…) Obviously, LeBron is a great player — he’s the greatest player in our league right now. I wanted to get him frustrated a little bit and hopefully, things would go our way. I think that’s what happened.”
Even though the series didn’t start the best way for Crowder, things fell into place for him and the Suns. LeBron couldn’t get the job done without Anthony Davis. Phoenix took advantage of that, making fun of the Lakers. Even Jae mocked Bron’s viral salsa video before trolling him on social media.
It was a big win for him and his team. They are waiting for their rival in the Western Conference Finals, wishing to have Chris Paul back right on time for the series. These Suns are inspired, and as long as they keep their pace, their rivals will have a hard time trying to beat them.
