The Los Angeles Lakers were unable to sweep the Houston Rockets as they dropped Game 4 on Sunday night. LeBron James struggled, as did the rest of the team, but the Lakers still hold a commanding series lead and will have another chance to finish the series back at home in Game 5.
The important thing for the Lakers is that they come out much better than they did in Game 4. And James feels this team’s mindset must be the same as it was in the previous games this series, they just have to execute better than they did on Sunday.
“The same as it was going into the first four,” James responded when asked what the Lakers’ mindset should be going into Game 5. “We understand what our game plan is, we didn’t execute that for 48 minutes today. So we’ll get better from it.”
It is well known that no team in NBA history has ever blown a 3-0 series lead so the Lakers are still in good standing despite the loss. But James doesn’t want this team relaxing at all until they have ended this series.
“Hell no,” James added when asked if the Lakers are comfortable with this series lead. “There’s no such thing as being comfortable until a series is done. None of us are.”
While history is on the Lakers’ side, there is simply no room for this team to let up, relax or feel comfortable in any way. The Lakers are still without their two leading scorers and, even though Austin Reaves seems to be nearing a return and could be back on the court for Game 5, that does not guarantee anything.
Multiple games in this series have been close and could’ve easily gone the other way and Game 5 will be the biggest game of the season. If the Lakers can’t finish it, then it’s back to Houston for Game 6 and all the pressure immediately flips.
Back in 2009, Kobe Bryant famously said “Job’s not finished” after taking the first two games of the NBA Finals, and now James is embracing that exact same mindset and will make sure the rest of the Lakers do the same.
LeBron James believes turnovers cost Lakers in Game 4
James had easily his worst game of the series in Game 4 with just 10 points and a team-high eight turnovers. And he believes it was the Lakers’ inability to take care of the ball that ultimately cost them.
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