LeBron James was on a special run in the 2019-20 season, even before the COVID shutdown happened. James was battling for MVP with Giannis Antetokounmpo while the Lakers looked far and away the best team in the West with the exception of the rival Los Angeles Clippers.
In their second-round matchup of the 2020 championship run, the Lakers had to fend off the Houston Rockets led by James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers won in 5, but Game 5 almost saw a heated moment between LeBron James and Austin Rivers.
After Rivers played strong defense on LeBron and fouled him instead of letting him get an easy bucket, Rivers tapped LeBron’s shot attempt away after it started falling toward him. However, the tap directed the ball toward LeBron, who had turned around and was walking to the free-throw line. Rivers quickly apologized as LeBron laughed and walked away.
Who remembers when LeBron almost fought Austin Rivers 👀 pic.twitter.com/jOx0egDPc5
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) January 11, 2023
Given LeBron’s interaction with Isaiah Stewart last season, we know stuff involving LeBron can get really bad. However, he tries to let a cooler head prevail, as it did in this encounter with Rivers.
Can The Lakers Recapture Their 2020 Magic?
The 2020 Lakers were a roster that was extremely well-built, even though it didn’t feature many shooters. The defensive personnel helped the team rise to the top of the West with a bold strategy of playing LeBron as the point guard. We got a healthy season from both LBJ and Anthony Davis, proving they could dominate the league when healthy.
James looks like he hasn’t regressed while AD, when healthy is capable of being the best player in the NBA. Sadly, the perfect situation has been alienating the Lakers since they won that title, and it doesn’t look to be fixing itself anytime soon.
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