LeBron James enjoys the ‘responsibility’ of leading the Lakers to the championship

LeBron James has won many basketball games throughout his 17-year career. That statement is especially true in the postseason.

On Wednesday, when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, they beat Derek Fisher to become the most victorious player in NBA playoff history. Since then, he has won two more games, bringing his total number of postseason victories to 164.

For James’s followers, it’s another testament to his historical dominance. To James’s detractors, it is an example of his inability to get the job done. For James, though, it’s just another day at the office.

“I know what it takes,” James said after the Lakers’ 119-96 win over the Rockets on Saturday. “I know what comes with my name, my height and what I have done in this league every time I decide to join a franchise … I know what comes with my name and with winning. And I assume that responsibility more than anything because I am a winner and always have been, since the first time I played organized basketball.

“My minor league coaches taught me the game the right way. They taught me how to play the game, how to play for my teammates, it’s never about you and the true definition of ‘there is no me in the team’. And I was able to win doing that and learning the game, from when I was nine until I turned pro at 18. I have won at all levels, so it has always worked for me. “

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images

Before last season, James hadn’t missed the postseason since his third year in the league. He also reached the Finals eight times in a row, which is tied for the third longest Finals streak of all time. Bill Russell holds the all-time record for consecutive Finals appearances with 11.

James had hoped to continue that streak in his first year with the Lakers, but due to a combination of poor roster management, locker room problems and injuries, including the most devastating injury of James’ career to date, his streak came. to its end.

This season, James and the Lakers finished the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference, and carried that success into the postseason, where they went 8-2. Although James is still eight wins away from lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy for the fourth time in his career, he is proud of what he has been able to accomplish with his teammates so far.

“I understand the Lakers faithful and what they felt, or were going through during the last decade of not being in the postseason, not competing for championships … And I took on that responsibility too. So I’m happy to be able to do a small part of this, and the rest of my baseball club and coaching staff and everyone who has made the sacrifice to get this franchise back in competition for a championship, which we have done all the time. year “.

The Lakers will play Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday, September 18.

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