The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most surprising teams in the bubble. For the wrong reasons. In the eight seeding games they played, LeBron James and the Lakers have only won thrice. This poor form continued into the playoffs as they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round.
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This poor showing led to rumors regarding lack of chemistry in the team, but James has rubbished this. Talking to Chris Haynes from Yahoo Sports, LeBron said the fans need not worry.
“It has nothing to do with our team,” he said. “One thing about our team is, we have zero lack of chemistry and camaraderie. That’s the one thing our team will always strive for and be about. It’s a little bit more intricate.”
“Our group has been as close as ever before because of the situation. Even more, since we’re here. The Lake Show and Laker Nation don’t worry about it. It has nothing to do with the ball club. We’re great.”
During seeding games LeBron James was asked about the team’s struggles and he made a comment saying there were things going on behind the scenes that nobody knew about. He touched on that. @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/CcQXEukNI4
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 19, 2020
Can LeBron James lead the Lakers to victory in Game 2?
Game 1 was all LeBron. The rest of the team was lackluster and had a tough time trying to score. The Lakers also set a record for the second-worst three-point shooting performance in a playoff game. Anthony Davis went 8/24 from the field and scored just seven points in the second half.
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The Blazers were not even at their best but managed to get a win. The Lakers just need to focus on improving their shooting. And as the leader, LeBron needs to focus on shooting more if he sees his team is struggling. His eye for a pass is second to none, but it doesn’t help if his teammates are on cold shooting streaks.
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The Lakers now face them on August 20 as they aim to get revenge for Game 1 and stay alive in the series. Being the favorites to win the title, they will have to improve or get sent home early.