It’s well documented that the Los Angeles Lakers struggled mightily when they arrived in the Walt Disney World bubble.
Part of this was the long hiatus between games, but LeBron James spoke on multiple occasions about the bubble’s circumstances greatly affecting his rhythm and regular preparation.
Those problems continued through the entirety of the seeding games and even caused a Game 1 loss to the No. 8 seeded Portland Trail Blazers. In the eight seeding games and Game 1 of the first round, L.A went just 3-6 while scoring 104.9 points per game as a team.
However, as James-led teams always do, they hit their stride after the early losses. Since that Game 1 against the Trail Blazers, they are 7-1. The Lakers are on the verge of completing a second consecutive gentleman’s sweep.
“I would just say I’m in a better rhythm,” James said this week. “I don’t want to say as far as physically I am where I would love to be, because there’s some things being here in the bubble that are uncontrollable. Some things we can’t control.
“But I think from a rhythm standpoint, I am where I would like to be, but I want to continue that. It’s all about just playing basketball efficiently and being effective out on the floor in my minutes and doing whatever it takes to help our team win. I’ve always been a winning player and that’s all that matters to me.”
L.A. is certainly playing winning basketball so far in the postseason, and a large amount of credit goes to James. So far, James is averaging 26.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 9 assists per game in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
This level of play is incredible, and yet has become the norm for James in the postseason, as he has always become an even greater version of himself when the lights are brightest.
LeBron credits others for most wins in NBA Playoff history
When the Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets to take a 2-1 series lead in Game 3, James made history by becoming the winningest player in playoff history. James sets records almost every night, but a record of this magnitude is very special.
James credited everyone around him for the past 17 years for this success. “And it’s something I never dreamed of. I never came into the league saying, ‘I want to be No. 1 in playoff wins.’ I’ve always said I want to be a part of a winning culture, be a winning player and do whatever it takes to help my teammates win,” he said.
“This is the result of it. But it doesn’t happen without my teammates over the years, my coaching staffs over the years, everyone from the top to bottom; GMs, owners, training staffs, ball boys, everyone has a hand in that because we’re part of the process of success.
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