LeBron James has been a lucky guy this year in terms of personal achievements and the Los Angeles Lakers’ collective efforts are concerned. He broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record and surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Now, the NBA community has a new scoring leader after 38 years. It is a massive feat for James and NBA as well. He even equaled the Captain on the list of the most NBA All-Star appearances (19). Other than individual achievements, the Akron Hammer is a happy man with his team as they made the postseason.
Last year, the Lakers could not make the postseason as they finished as the 11th seed. Hence, LeBron James was determined to help his team make the postseason this time. But the team was not in a favorable situation till mid-February after a terrible start to the season. The LA squad had lost ten games out of the first twelve. But now they are in a good position in round 2 of the playoffs. The Lakers are currently leading the defending champs, the Warriors, by 3-1. However, can James afford to rest in the next game? Looks like he will, as per some recent developments.
Mike Greenberg Suggests LeBron James Take Rest In Game 5
The Golden States Warriors have been through this stage before when they had to come back from behind to win the championship. They have won four titles in eight years. Hence, the Dubs have ideas about how to get past this situation. But the Lakers must not make it easy for the defending champions either. LeBron James and his team need to plan for each of the following games very carefully. Mike Greenberg of ESPN and ABC suggests James does not need to waste his energy for the next game at the Chase Center. Greenberg also feels that it is impossible to beat the Warriors in Game 5 as they will play to defend the honor of their dynasty at home court. He even sounded confident while predicting the Game 5 results on the ‘Get Up’ show on ESPN yesterday.
Might be time for Greeny to clear his mind and take that darkness retreat he promised pic.twitter.com/feNYeravCn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 9, 2023
According to Greenberg, “The Lakers’ best chance to seal the series is at Crypto.com arena in Game 6. Don’t waste AD’s and LeBron’s energies on Game 5.” The ESPN anchor believes that LeBron James should stay at his mansion in Los Angeles tomorrow and enjoy watching the game from home. Apparently, he should concentrate on not putting too much pressure on his feet. James was out of the game for a month due to a tendon injury on his right foot. That happened during the regular season. However, if he faces another injury at this time that might lead James to miss the rest of the games in the playoffs, it could be fatal for the team. Now, the Lakers have reached a certain point when they cannot afford another injury issue of any key player.
Lakers Had A Dramatic Turnaround This Season
This year, the LA side has turned things around dramatically to reach the playoffs. It was not easy, as they could not finish in the top six. But by winning the play-in game against the Timberwolves, the Lakers reached the playoffs. Since then, LeBron James and his team did not look back.
Currently, the Lakers have a healthy lead over the defending champions with 3-1 in the second round of the playoffs. It is the semis, so the winner of the series goes straight to the Conference final. If they win the Conference, the winner will reach the NBA Finals. However, LeBron James and his side still have a long way to go.