Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been a professional basketball player for so long that he understands not to take playoff games for granted. James knows better than anyone how rare it is to compete for a championship, so it’s no surprise to see his foot on the gas during the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
James and the Lakers finished the 2024-25 season as the Western Conference’s third seed and there was a lot talk about the team looking like a legitimate title contender after acquiring Luka Doncic. With Doncic on board, James arguably has his best opportunity to add at least one more championship ring to his collection, though the first hurdle to getting there is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves are far from a normal six seed as they finished the regular season just one game behind the Lakers and are a real threat to advance after winning Game 3 on their home floor. Los Angeles lost 116-104, though it wasn’t for a lack of effort from James as he led all scorers with 38 points to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 41 minutes.
While James was exceptional, the Lakers ran out of gas late. It’s tough to win on the road when a team commits 17 turnovers, which cost them on Friday. LeBron knows that is not acceptable in the playoffs, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“First of all, in the postseason, there is no room for error. In the regular season, you’re able to make up for certain things where you can have a little bit of room for error… In the postseason, obviously you’re not gonna play a perfect game. But the more that you make mistakes on top of mistakes, things that can be controlled, it’s not gonna give the an opportunity to have the best possible chance to win. They had 13 more goals at the rim than we did. That can be the game right there. We had 78 attempts, they had 91. That’s just with live-ball turnovers.”
James is first all-time in postseason minutes and points, so he certainly is aware of what it takes to get it done this time of year.
Facing a 2-1 series deficit, Sunday’s Game 4 is crucial for L.A. to knot up the series before heading back to Crypto.com Arena where LeBron and Co. would obviously prefer not to be facing elimination.
Luka Doncic says he & LeBron James need to keep Lakers together on road against Timberwolves
Playing against a team like the Timberwolves is a tough challenge for any team, but especially for an older veteran squad such as the Lakers. Minnesota’s got a rowdy home crowd that feeds off the players, so Luka Doncic emphasized the need for him and LeBron James to keep L.A. together while they’re on the road.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
