Despite numerous players on the Los Angeles Lakers dealing with flu-like symptoms, they swept their back-to-back situation against the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.
Prior to this three-game road trip, critics believed LeBron James and the Lakers only had an NBA-best 17-3 record due to a soft start to the 2019-20 NBA season schedule.
While the Lakers did have a soft schedule, they took care of business and these last two games against playoff-bound teams showed they are a true championship contender.
As there will continue to be debates about the Lakers, James addressed his ‘Shaqtin’ a Fool’ moment after the 121-96 win against the Jazz, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I think at the same time… I was watching the underneath play and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground. I think I was ready to pass the ball and my brain just kind of just… I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction.”
Early in the first quarter, James brought the basketball up the court after Joe Ingles made a three-pointer. As James was watching Kentavious Caldwell-Pope under the basket, he forgot to dribble before eventually passing to him.
Despite the strong reactions from Bojan Bogdanovic and Jazz fans, none of the three refs noticed James’ travel.
While James called it ‘probably one of the worst things’ he has done in his 17-year career, the 34-year-old has been phenomenal. Through 22 games, he is averaging 25.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and a league-leading 10.8 assists.
As critics believed James was no longer the best player in the NBA, he has proven them wrong. Along with being the team’s starting point guard, his defense has been a pleasant surprise en route to 2019-20 NBA MVP consideration.
At the quarter point of the season, there is plenty of excitement about James and the Lakers, but they understand there is a long road ahead to capturing the team’s 17th championship. With James winning three championships in nine NBA Finals appearances, he does not get too high or low and the Lakers are following his lead.