LeBron James Issues Locker Room Warning as Anthony Davis Makes Honest Confession on Lakers’ Behavior

The first LA clash conveniently went to the Los Angeles Clippers. At the peak, they held a 26-point lead and controlled the proceedings the entire night at the Intuit Dome. The Los Angeles Lakers, marred by mishaps in the first half didn’t have the grounds to make a comeback. However, in spite of the loss to their city rivals, what LeBron James and Co. took is a lesson. They can’t be complacent anymore.

The Clippers had their way in the first half. They shot close to 58% from the field and forced 9 of the 15 Lakers turnovers in that period. However, the second half was different. The Lakers seemed more connected and likewise found success. However, with the lead ballooning to over 20, even their runs weren’t enough to shake the Clippers.

So the way LeBron James and many of the top brass within the Lakers rank see it is their margin to make mistakes is narrow. “We don’t have a choice. I mean that’s the way our team is constructed. We have to play close to perfect basketball. We know the game is never perfect. It’s never going to be a 48-minute perfect basketball game but we can’t combat it multiple possessions in a row or if we turn the ball over we have to do a better job with that,” the Akron Hammer said after the game.

The key message James wanted to send was the Lakers “can’t break down on the gameplan”. With a new ideology at the helm, the Lakers are still adjusting to playing the high-activity basketball JJ Redick endorses. Furthermore, their roster still has some holes. Hence, the threshold for errors is minimal.

However, another thing that is proven is when the game plan is followed, the Lakers are finding success. Tonight, the story of the second half was a positive precedent for the Purple and Gold. They could contain the Clippers and counter with intensity on both sides of the floor. What’s needed though is to maintain that benchmark for the entire game.

Anthony Davis resonates with LeBron James

When speaking about the game plan, the Lakers failed to adhere to it until it was too late. Anthony Davis, who had a subpar game by his standard reiterated the same message in his post-game interview. “Some mistakes, little game plan discipline, fouling James Harden a couple of times,” he listed as the reasons for the team losing.

This is not to say that mistakes won’t be made. As James said himself, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” game. But this season, executing against great teams such as the Clippers has been difficult for the Lakers. They have an 11-17 record against teams over .500 and have only lost once to those with a losing record.

The potential is present. When in-tune, their offense looks unflappable which gives them the energy to play defensively. But tonight, their turnovers cost them. The 15 turnovers generated 21 points for the Clippers. In addition, the Lakers have a 4-8 record when they record 15 or more turnovers.

Another major concern for the team is their inability to convert great looks. Of the 33 attempts they average from beyond the arc, 30 are either open or wide open according to NBA stats. However, they still rank in the bottom percentile as far as conversion. But they have still managed to win games without shooting the ball at a high clip.

Redick’s highball movement offense has revolutionized the Lakers’ offense. However, against top teams, precision is what matters. Teams such as the Clippers are great at closing gaps and reading the game. Hence, the Lakers need to polish up their schemes in order to garner success against the contenders and solidify their title aspirations.