Getty Lakers star LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James got called out by San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan on Twitter during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
Sochan tweeted, “Why does ‘King’ James flop so much?”
Why does ‘King’ James flop so much?
Sochan tweeted this after James flopped to get a foul called on Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP was ripped by social media for flopping, especially since he said during the Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors that the Lakers don’t work on flopping.
LeBron 😅
The Lakers lost Game 2 by a final score of 108-103. They blew an 11-point second-half lead and now trail the best-of-seven series 2-0.
James finished Game 2 with 22 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and three turnovers in 40 minutes while shooting 9-of-19 from the field, 0-of-6 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. The 19-time All-Star is shooting 0-of-10 from 3-point land in the conference finals.
LeBron James Hurt His Left Ankle & Messed Up in Transition
Game 2 was a rough one for James. Not only did he twist his left ankle, but LeBron also botched a wide-open dunk in transition.
James told reporters after Game 2 that he’ll be “fine.” Game 3 is on Saturday, May 20. The Lakers have to win Game 3 at home to save their season since no team in NBA history has erased a 3-0 series deficit in the playoffs.
Los Angeles is undefeated at home in the 2023 postseason.
LeBron James twisted his left ankle late in Game 2 by stepping on Aaron Gordon’s foot. He was evaluated after the game but Saturday’s Game 3 isn’t in question. “They’re still there,” he told ESPN, pulling a towel off his ankles. “A little ankle isn’t going to stop me”
James, who is looking to win his fifth championship and second title with the Lakers, has only lost a conference finals series once during his legendary career. Back in 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers were down 2-0 to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Behind James, the Cavaliers won Games 3 and 4 at home, lost Game 5 in Boston and won Game 6 in Cleveland and Game 7 on the road in Beantown.
However, James was 33 in 2018 (he’s 38 now) and didn’t have a serious foot injury. The King is playing with a torn tendon in his right foot and now he’s dealing with a left ankle injury as well.
If the Lakers Don’t Win the Title, They Need to Get Kyrie Irving
D’Angelo Russell has been terrible in the first two games of the Nuggets series. If the Lakers don’t come back against Denver and ultimately win it all, they need to get Kyrie Irving this summer.
Russell and Irving become unrestricted free agents this offseason. The Lakers and Dallas Mavericks could execute a sign-and-trade deal involving both All-Stars. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report wrote about that exact trade in a May 18 column called “Lakers’ Hypothetical Blockbuster Trades to Shake Up NBA Offseason.”
“Kyrie Irving is a natural target for the Lakers even though The Athletic’s Tim Cato reported they’re ‘uninterested’ in pursuing him this offseason,” Buckley wrote. “The Lakers valued Irving enough to offer two future first-round picks (the most they could trade) to the Brooklyn Nets before the mercurial guard was sent to the Mavericks. When Irving went elsewhere, James didn’t hide his disappointment. That surprised absolutely no one, since the pair previously led a championship run together on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“It’s hard to imagine L.A. is fully out on Irving now. There are nights when this offense just can’t get out of the mud. Catch one of those, and it’s easy to see how much of an impact Irving could make with his shooting, efficient scoring and shot-creation. The Lakers would need to jump through a few financial hoops to make this happen, since teams above the first salary-cap apron can’t receive players via sign-and-trade. That’s fine. If it means losing out on a player like Rui Hachimura, that’s a sacrifice L.A. could be willing to make to get a player of Irving’s caliber.”