The Boston Celtics continued their dominant ways as they swept the Los Angeles Lakers 126–115 at home. This marked the Lakers’ sixth loss in the last eight games. While LeBron James is one of the biggest stars to shine on any given day, this Christmas Day was unfortunately not one of those. He contributed just 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, going 1-2 from beyond the arc and just 5-14 from the field.

Consequently, he once again became the focal point of criticism for delivering an underwhelming performance against the arch-rivals. And of course, it was none other than James’ most vocal critic, Stephen A. Smith.

Stephen A. Smith strikes again

James looks like he has entered his extended prime, playing at an elite level even in his 21st season. However, tonight’s performance was an exception. In his defense, he was listed as questionable before the matchup due to left ankle tendinopathy. That might have played a part in James’ subpar performance. However, Stephen A. Smith wasn’t the one to let him off the hook easily.

In the recent episode of NBA Countdown, SAS gave his candid opinion on the showdown. While discussing the impressive performances delivered by Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum, SAS remarked, “No matter how great LeBron James has been, he wasn’t the biggest star on the floor today.”

This comes just a few days after Smith praised James for being the best player on the Lakers’ roster and being in better shape than the rest. He said, “I mean, the brother is a senior citizen in the NBA for crying out loud, and he’s in better shape than all of y’all.” However, it was not just SAS who was unimpressed with the Lakers’ defeat, King James himself wasn’t too satisfied with the current state of his team.

LeBron James bluntly reflects on the current state of the team

The Lakers looked like a true title contender when they went on to win the first-ever NBA Cup. However, after the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament win, they have hit a slump and are struggling to find victories. The December 25th matchup against the Celtics shed light on the current state of the team. After going 7-0 in the IST, the Lakers have dropped 2-6 since, even losing to the bottom-seeded San Antonio Spurs.

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Therefore, James reflected, “I don’t think we’re where we wanna be to be able to compete against the top teams.”

The Lakers sit right outside the top 8, just one victory shy of the guaranteed playoff spot, with a 16-15 record. Do you think they’ll be able to make a deep run into the postseason? Let us know in the comments!

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