For the second consecutive series, the Los Angeles Lakers came out and stole Game 1 on the road and as was the case against the Memphis Grizzlies, it was Anthony Davis who was dominant and set the tone. Davis finished with 30 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks in the Lakers’ 117-112 win to take a 1-0 series lead over the Golden State Warriors and he made his impact felt everywhere.
It was apparent early on that Davis was locked in and knew that there was no one on the Warriors who could stop him inside, and that continued on throughout the contest. But Davis credited the Lakers guards for setting him up and getting him the ball where he could do damage.
“The guys gave the ball to me in the right spots,” Davis said after the game. “A lot of it came out of pick and roll, post-ups, some offensive rebounds. Just being aggressive when I do catch, looking to score, looking to play make to the other guys.
“That was the guards finding me early, which allowed them to play free later on in the game.”
Indeed, 23 of Davis’ 30 points came in the first half, but in the second half, he created more with four assists as D’Angelo Russell and LeBron James took on more of the scoring load.
The Lakers have a chance to really take control of the series in Game 2 on Thursday night and Davis understands the Warriors are going to come out even harder to ensure that doesn’t happen. But the big man vowed to continue being aggressive regardless.
“It’s going to be a different game. They’re going to make adjustments. We’re going to make adjustments,” Davis noted “The building will be probably a little bit louder. Obviously they don’t want to go down 0-2. The crowd will be more into it.
“I’m going to continue to be aggressive. I know our guys are going to continue to be aggressive. Obviously we know that Draymond likes the help, so if they do decide to put him on me, figure out ways I can be effective with him doing his thing defensively. But who knows. I mean, we’ll see what happens in Game 2 if they make that adjustment. If they don’t, still try to find ways to attack.”
The talent of Davis has never been in question, it is simply a matter of him being focused and locked in. When he is at his best, Davis is one of the best players in the NBA on both ends of the court. He has come under criticism at times however for his inconsistency, but he could care less what the outside world thinks of him.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Davis said. “I don’t care what no one thinks. Only the guys in the locker room, coaching staff, only opinions that I care about. Other than that, I just go out and play basketball, do what I can do to help the team win. Opinions outside the locker room, what guys say, guys think, is irrelevant to me.”
Whether he intends to or not, Davis is reminding the basketball world of his standing amongst the best players the NBA has to offer.
LeBron James says Anthony Davis’ jersey will hang in the rafters with the Lakers legends
As he said, the only opinions Davis cares about are the ones inside the Lakers locker room and in the mind of James, he is showcasing his greatness and why his jersey will one day hang in the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena.
“I mean, the Lakers franchise over the years, over the course of their existence, has always had dominant big men, dominant guys that have been a force at the rim,” James said. “That’s why their jerseys are in the rafters. A.D. will be up there when he’s done playing. The No. 3 will be up in the rafters.”
Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and, most recently, Pau Gasol all have their jerseys retired by the purple and gold. If Davis continues on this path, there is no doubt that he will be right there among them.
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