The Los Angeles Lakers meeting with the L.A. Clippers marked another meeting between LeBron James and one of his greatest rivals, Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers star only recently debuted this season with this being his fifth game of the year and both he and LeBron delivered.
James led the Lakers with 25 points, five rebounds, 11 assists and three steals while Leonard was extremely efficient with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting and, most importantly, it was his Clippers who came away with a 116-102 victory.
James and Leonard have faced off countless times throughout their careers on the biggest stages the NBA has to offer and LeBron was happy to see him back on the court and match up with him once again as there won’t be many more.
“For me, it’s always great to go against the best,” LeBron said after the Lakers’ loss. “And I know I don’t have that many opportunities to continue to go against the best, so it’s good to see him back out there.”
The rivalry between James and Leonard really kicked off back in 2014 when the latter won NBA Finals MVP as he led the San Antonio Spurs over the former’s Miami Heat in the Finals that year. Things really went into a higher gear in 2019 when Leonard chose to join the Clippers over LeBron’s Lakers, which also brought a much greater intensity between the two franchises.
There were apparent shots taken at James in an ensuing Leonard New Balance commercial, but LeBron got the biggest laugh when he and Anthony Davis led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA Championship. Meanwhile, the Clippers never were able to reach the Finals with Kawhi and Paul George on the roster.
The rivalry between LeBron and Stephen Curry is the one that is most pointed to because of their many playoff and Finals meetings, but the two rarely actually square off on the court, guarding each other. In terms of facing off on the court it is Leonard and Kevin Durant who have been the biggest rivals of James’ career and the Lakers star always enjoys taking on the other greats this league has to offer.
LeBron James says Lakers have no ‘room for error’ as currently constructed
It was Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers who got the win over LeBron James’ Lakers on Sunday in a game that wasn’t that close. The Lakers had too many self-inflicted errors and LeBron made it clear that this Lakers roster just can’t afford that.
“Nah. That’s how our team is constructed. We don’t have room for error — for much error,” LeBron said. The Lakers star would continue on, adding that they have to play nearly perfect, and the game of basketball is never perfect.
“We don’t have a choice,” he admitted. “That’s the way our team is constructed and we have to. We have to play close to perfect basketball. And we know the game is never perfect. It’s never gonna be a 48-minute perfect basketball game.
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