After facing their fair share of problems this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally managed to reach the playoffs. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-102 on Tuesday during their play-in matchup. However, their win was recently downplayed by NBA legend Charles Barkley. Barkley went as far as saying that the Lakers “didn’t deserve to win this game.” Meanwhile, after Chuck’s brutal take on their victory, a former NBA champion has projected the Lakers to win the chip this year, showering LeBron James with adulations.
Regardless, the Lakers securing a position in the playoffs is what mattered to them the most. They now gear up to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.
Ex-NBA champion has high hopes for LeBron James and the Lakers
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Barkley had blasted the Wolves and the Lakers for their poor performances during their recent matchup. The 11x NBA All-Star said that, “The Lakers didn?t win this game, the Wolves lost this game.” While going off on the Minnesota team, Barkley said, “This is all about the Wolves choking this game away.”?Clearly, the NBA legend was not happy with the performance put on by either team.
However, ex-Lakers star, Lamar Odom holds a completely different opinion. During a recent TMZ street interview, Odom said the Lakers are looking pretty solid going into the playoffs. The 43-year-old also added that the LA side have assembled a great team, who will end up winning this year’s championship.
Odom was all praise for King James as well. He said that LeBron still has it in him to take his team through the series. The 2x NBA champion boldly proclaimed, “His name is God James. The God of basketball.”
Notably, LeBron put up a great performance in the play-in game against the Wolves. He scored 30 points with 10 rebounds and six assists. Other than him, Anthony Davis played yet another key role in shifting the outcome in the Lakers’ favor. Davis scored 24 points with 15 rebounds.
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Lebron James’ Lakers will be facing Memphis Grizzlies in their playoff matchups
The Lakers have added more depth to their roster by adding Tristan Thompson. Odom also expressed his feelings regarding Thompson joining the Lakers. He said, “He’s a rebounder, defender. He’ll help us out.” Led by James, the Lakers are looking very promising going into their first game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
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What are your predictions for this matchup between the Grizzlies and the Lakers? Tell us in the comments below.
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