Getty Lakers star Anthony Davis
After the Los Angeles Lakers won Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors, Anthony Davis addressed his critics with some strong words.
The eight-time All-Star told Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report that he doesn’t pay attention to what pundits say about him.
“Hell nah, I’m not on social media and it’s been that way for about four months,” Davis told Haynes. “I don’t know what anybody is saying. Most times it’s just clickbait to draw ratings. I don’t give that s*** any attention. I’ve got three kids and a wife I want to keep happy. I don’t need any other stress. You obviously want to compete at the highest level and perform to your best, but s***, it doesn’t go that way sometimes.”
Davis is averaging 21.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 4.1 blocks in these playoffs while shooting 51.4% from the field. However, he hasn’t had two good games in a row, which has caused many fans and analysts to bash him. The good news for the Lakers is that Davis hasn’t heard anything.
“It’s not like I say, ‘Well, you know what, I’m going to take the night off. I’m not going to go hard tonight. I’m not going to make shots.’ It’s not like that,” Davis said. “People always want to tell you what to do, but I shot 10 times in Game 2 and I shot 11 times tonight [Davis took 10 field goals]. I got the same looks. Nothing was different aside from me making shots.
“When that negative stuff starts to circulate, I go into my own little world and remind myself of who I am and what I can do and why people are criticizing me. You’re criticized for a reason. It’s because of who you are or who they know you can be. Every single time before a game, I remind myself of who I am and I go compete.”
Anthony Davis: ‘I’m Very Strong Mentally’
Davis told Haynes that he’s “very strong mentally.” The Chicago native has been in the limelight since he was in high school, so he knows how to deal with pressure.
“I’m very strong mentally,” Davis said. “It’s hard to let anyone or something get into my head. If that happens, it’s something serious. But I try not to allow anything to get into my head that I don’t want to. I have a great support system around me. They won’t allow me to stay in a negative space for too long. Whether it’s an hour or a day of feeling like you could have done more, they’re like, ‘What are we doing? We don’t have time for this s***. Let’s get back to who you are.’ At the end of the day, I do what I do.”
The Lakers are up 2-1 on the Warriors in the best-of-seven series. They have to win Game 4, which is on May 8, to maintain home-court advantage.
The Lakers Won Game 3 Easily
The Lakers won Game 3 in blowout fashion, 127-97. Davis led the way with 25 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and four blocks, LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists despite not scoring in the first quarter and D’Angelo Russell poured in 21 points and five assists.
Los Angeles outscored Golden State 36-18 in the second quarter and never looked back.