With Game 1 quickly approaching, LeBron James offered some key advice to his Lakers teammates. As a seasoned veteran with four championships, James knows how important it is not to get too high or too low until the job is complete.
“I’ve been in the postseason way too long in my career to know that you don’t get too high off of Game 1 or get too high over whoever the matchup is. You gotta just stay even-keeled,” said James, via Jovan Buha. “There’s gonna be a lot of swings throughout the game, throughout a series. And it’s how long you can just keep your mind even-keeled and keep the main thing the main thing. They’re a great team. We know what we’re capable of. But the game is not won in the transcripts. The game is won in between the four lines. And that’s all that matters.”
This time of year is always high anxiety for players and coaches. As the playoff shift occurs, it becomes much more common to put a lot of weight on one single game or event. But James knows better than to lose his focus, especially against the best in the West.
The Purple and Gold are on a 9-game losing streak against the Nuggets, which dates back to last year’s Conference Finals when Denver won the series in a 4-0 sweep. The Lakers could have panicked after drawing them in the first round, but instead, the team rallied together in a show of confidence, focus, and determination. In the locker room, Darvin Ham was gassing up his guys, and Anthony Davis proclaimed to the world that his team would not be “ducking the smoke.”
With Game 1 on Saturday, the Lakers are only a few days away from an opportunity to set the tone in the series, and it could very well make or break their post-season. If they can come out and steal a win in Denver, it will send a message to the competition and the basketball world that this year will be different than the one that came before. But regardless of whether they win or lose, the Lakers will be sure not to let their emotions swing too far one way or the other.
Can The Lakers Upset The Defending Champs?
It was by sheer chance that the Lakers matched up against Denver in the first round. But with the series unavoidable, the Lakers have no choice but to make the most of it. In some positive signs, the Lakers are not short on confidence, and they still have strong faith in their veteran, star-studded core.
But, given all the talent that the Lakers have, they are still massive underdogs against Nikola Jokic and the squad. As a squad with size and strength at every position, the Nuggets are uniquely positioned to counter the Lakers, and their physical play is usually enough to wear out the Laker’s frontcourt.
That’s not to mention the soon-to-be 3x MVP Nikola Jokic, who always saves his best for the Purple and Gold. Over three games during the regular season, he averaged 29.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists in a dominant shooting display. With no answers for the Joker in the frontcourt, what hope do the Lakers have of winning four out of seven games?
The odds are undoubtedly bleak for the Purple and Gold, but LeBron James will not let his team lose sight of the mission. Come win or lose, he will fight until the very end, and that relentless spirit may be what saves their season.
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