In early July, a few days before the Los Angeles Lakers boarded a plane for Orlando, Florida, hoping to extend their trip to the NBA Finals in October, Jared Dudley made a precise remark.
“[LeBron James] is ready for this moment, you can tell, “said Dudley.” You can see in his beard that he is ready, he is ready to lower it and put that Bigen [hair dye] in. ASAP. “
Sure, enough, James ‘unruly facial hair was shaped with scissors and the patches of gray were painted black before the Lakers’ restart against the LA Clippers. He again saw the part of the man who dominated the league before hitting the hiatus in March, though his run through the seeding games that followed was hobby, at best.
Now, for the Lakers to be the last team, James must overcome some daunting obstacles. His roster still sorts through questions about chemistry amid rapid turnover, his superstar sidekick has not been proven in gruesome playoff series and one of his most expensive tests could still wait in the Western Conference finals.
James will not get any extra attention from fans who gather outside the Lakers hotel to get a glimpse of their hero. No guzzling from the roar of the crowd. No satisfaction by stopping a road arena.
“You really have to love basketball to be here, because there’s no extra motivation for the excitement of the club and things of that nature,” James said of the bubble environment. “You have to really like the game, love the work and be able to incorporate it into your craft, and that’s something I really like.”
The road to all three of James’ titles has been difficult, but he said this week that he believes he is starting the toughest championship push of his career. To remove these obstacles, he must be more than ready, because anything less than a ring would mean heartbreaking. – Dave McMenamin
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The delicate chemistry on the court
As the Lakers completed their multiplayer deal to pair Anthony Davis with their crown jewel in James, one question remained: Do the Lakers have enough depth to win it all?
That’s why Avery Bradley, due to family reasons for joining the bubble – his 6-year-old son, Liam, has a respiratory condition that puts him at high risk if he were to contract COVID-19 – the Lakers’ front office knew the veteran guard’s skill set would be difficult to replicate.
That the James I. The player who, in the course of his NBA career argument, has done more with less than any other superstar, recognizes how complementary players can often tip the scales. Bradley relentlessly lashes out at ball-dealers, who often succumb to whimsical decisions under the weight of his pursuit. His ability to fight through screens also allowed the size of the Lakers to comfortably fall into the paint and protect the edge.
The Lakers knew they were missing Bradley on the defensive end, but as it turns out, they also pined for his ball handling and perimeter skill. While Bradley is by no means an elite shooter, he was a hairstylist, averaging 8.6 points and shooting a respectable 36.4% from the 3-point line. A swath of potential candidates to place a 3 here and there in Bradley’s absence, mistreated desperately during the seeding games. While Rajon Rondo is back practicing with the Lakers after thumb surgery, he will not help much from deep, and a schedule for his return to games remains uncertain.
It might have been too much to expect from players like Dion Waiters, who had been patient with the Miami Heat before the start of the year as a returning banker, or JR Smith, who was completely out of basketball. steps and gel immediately with a compelling team that does not have time to integrate fresh blood.
This is not to suggest that if Bradley were to return miraculously (which has zero chance of happening) all of the Lakers’ misery would disappear. It’s just an indication of the delicate nature of team chemistry and how removing one piece from the puzzle puts responsibility at the feet of those who may or may not have the task of filling the designated gap.
If James identifies the doubles team on Davis and recognizes the need to swing the ball and find the open shot, he need not doubt as Bradley waits on the wing. It’s your confidence and your memory. Find out that synergy among many players audiences for the role, while at the same time trying to keep the mantle as the top team in the West is an important task.
James is accustomed to dragging his less gifted teammates across the finish line. But he also understands the value of non-contributing contributors – like Tristan Thompson with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Mike Miller in Miami, who both came up big when it came to business.
Davis is one of the most talented sidekicks James has ever had. Whether that will be enough to fill the void of a grid whose depth is so careful. The lack of a nice player like Bradley has caused the Lakers to falter at a time when opponents are cementing their camaraderie and guns for a team that is suddenly showing more vulnerability than in March. – Jackie MacMullan
The pressure on his sidekick
It did not take long for James and Davis to become the most prolific passer-shooter duo in the league. In their first season together, they tied for 222 buckets, the most of any NBA pairing. But can that partnership level rise in a playoff pressure cooker?
By 2020, we know what to expect from James. His sustained excellence is nothing short of unbelievable, and he will elevate his game if it matters. Davis is a different story. Although James played more than 10,000 minutes of playoff basketball, Davis still hit 600. James has been to nine NBA Finals. Davis has participated in three overall postseason series, winning only one.
To meet James’ lofty goals this fall, he needs Davis to do something the seven-time All-Star big man has never done before: Dominate playoff basketball games against the toughest teams over a long run.
“I think the goal is a lot bigger,” Davis said this week. “If you’re the underdog, you get to win and win games you don’t have to. You don’t necessarily have a goal on your back. But if you’re a favorite, the pressure is more on you to win games than the other team. “
James’ biggest win for postseason has always been helping other superstar teammates at key times. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh made massive contributions in 2012. Ray Allen made the biggest shot of 2013. Kyrie Irving hit the biggest of 2016. Can Davis do something similar this year?
Davis certainly has the talent to be the best player in every game this postseason. But these questions are honest until we see how he performs in the stretch of an elimination game against a great squad.
James Harden gets ridiculed for his lack of success of the postseason, and yet he pushed the Golden State Warriors on the run in 2018. Kyle Lowry was filled with his disappearance from the playoffs, until all this experience helped him out of the Toronto Raptors to lead to a surprise title last season. There is not yet the same baseline for Davis at the moment.
And this grid leaves little room for error. If teams are focused on James and not threatened by the other dudes, then this means that all eyes will be on Davis to exploit the weaknesses of opponents. With James needing more help than ever, it will take consistently dominant performances from Davis to get these Lakers over the hump. – Kirk Goldsberry
The hard stoppers
In the final month of a grueling 2014 postseason, two defenders took on the task of keeping James as their primary assignment: Paul George with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, then Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
A few defenders have ever shut James up, especially when he was 29 and aware of his powers, but he also did not have an easy time in either matchup. James’ Heat were held at 92.6 points per 100 possessions when James went out against George in the half court, then 97.0 points per 100 possessions against Leonard, according to Second Spectrum. The quality of James’ shots in the half court was decidedly less than his total in the regular season.
If James reaches his 10th finals, he’s going to have to get the best of Damian Lillard and one of the more dangerous 8-seeders in recent memory in the Portland Trail Blazers, then outduel of Harden’s Houston Rockets as Chris Paul’s Oklahoma City Thunder. in the semi-finals. These challenges will not come without their tears, but they are mildly comparable to what James will face when the Lakers face a Clippers team that has both George and Leonard.
Any team hoping to defeat James must have someone to defend him. These guys are typically called “wing-stoppers”, and the best versions look a bit like Leonard and George. Each is fourth in his prime, roughly the same age as James in 2014, while James would be three months ashamed of his 36th birthday during the conference finals. James is the most consistent NBA superstar in league history, but he has never confronted an opponent with this kind of two-way depth.
George is a spidery defender with an instinct to limit a score to his length. Over the years, his sense of the game has increased his sense of anticipation to other global levels. Meanwhile, Leonard is the best wing defender of his generation, his physicality so invasive that opponents appear visibly uncomfortable in one-on-one situations. Then there are those hands – massive fish that give each possession a potential steal.
Over the past several years, James has shown that with a little rest he can still be the most dominant force in the NBA. When he defeated the favorite Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, he played in just 21 games over 63 days. Equipped with a six-month hiatus last summer after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005, James came rejuvenating again; there was no “flip-switching” when the Lakers ran with the Western Conference this season.
That’s good for James: A showdown with Leonard, George and possibly the deepest team he has ever faced in a postseason will require every ounce of energy and load. For years, elders stood in the way of his aspirations. Well, he’s that man. – Kevin Arnovitz
