Injuries have really taken their toll on the 2021 NBA playoffs as nearly every team has had to deal with a key player going down. The Los Angeles Lakers were hobbled in their first round series against the Phoenix Suns as Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso all missed time while LeBron James was nursing his ankle injury.
The Brooklyn Nets then became the prohibitive favorites but lost Kyrie Irving and had a hobbled James Harden, eventually losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games in the second round.
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is not shy to speak his mind, so he took a jab at Durant while praising James on his personal Twitter account:
I ain’t tryna start nothing up tonight but uh.. Lebron used to run through that East wit no problem ????????
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) June 20, 2021
James managed to make eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances when he was in the Eastern Conference, so Ramsey does have a point. However, the injury situation can not be understated as this year’s NBA champion may simply be whoever is the healthiest.
The Lakers superstar sounded off on the NBA for the rushed season but it does not matter now as Los Angeles will be forced to watch the rest of the postseason from home.
Davis believes James was not 100 percent in playoffs
James was still recovering from a right ankle sprain when the Lakers played the Suns in the first round and Davis emphasized that the superstar was not healthy.
“He wasn’t 100% healthy and I think you guys know that. He left it all on the floor, especially tonight trying to make plays after plays to try to help us get to a Game 7. I think he also is gonna need that time to let the ankle fully heal.
“But it was more, and especially when he first came back, a lot of jump shots. I don’t think he trusted the ankle a lot because with everything you do, he’s moving the ankle so he plays downhill and jumps and attacks and come off pick-and-rolls, do a lot of movement so his ankle has to be good. But like I said, he was still very effective for us when he came back. I think he left that Toronto game when it was bothering him, I could be wrong. But when he came back the second time he was good and he went out there and did everything he could to put us in a positing to do something special. It just wasn’t enough for our team, me, him and everyone else.”
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