Getty Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers.
After years of mediocrity, the Los Angeles Lakers are back in the playoffs. Tuesday represents the first playoff game the team will be playing since 2013 which is the longest drought in franchise history. The Lakers will be facing off against a hot Portland Trail Blazers team. It will be a tougher test than most one seeds have in the first round.
Anthony Davis is great but LeBron James is the key for a deep playoff run. The Lakers haven’t been shy about their goal of winning a championship this year and they’ll finally have their shot. Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka had some very strong words about LeBron heading into his first playoff game with the Lakers.
“You spend time around the great greats, not just the greats but some of the greatest to ever play, and when it gets close to playoff time, those guys get so locked in,” Pelinka told Spectrum SportsNet. “It’s just another level of the mental approach, the physical approach, the mindset. And you can see it in LeBron. He’s locked into a mission, he’s got one thing in sight. He wants to bring a title home to the Lakers and he’s going to do everything within his power to do it.”
LeBron hasn’t been playing his best basketball in the bubble but he’s never been a slouch in the playoffs.
LeBron Says This Will ‘Toughest’ Championship Run
There are those who think that this year’s championship should have an asterisk next to it because of the unprecedented nature of the bubble. However, some players believe that this had made winning the title much harder.
“It’s probably going to be one of — probably the toughest one,” LeBron told the media on Monday. “It’s the toughest championship run for me personally. From the circumstances of just being in here…I don’t take anything for granted. I live life, every day I maximize that day. I don’t take anything for granted. Because at the end of the day, I know where I come from, I know what I stand for, so I don’t take anything for granted, especially being in my 17th season. I don’t go into any season saying, ‘OK, playoffs, playoffs, championship, championship.’ I just am all about the process.”
Though he’s 35 now, the Lakers are going to need LeBron to go on another historic playoff run if they hope to win the championship.
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LeBron Talks Blazers
The Trail Blazers were a team that was hit with a number of injuries before the season was suspended which is why their record was so bad heading into the bubble. On the back of Damian Lillard, they were able to make up a lot of ground and sneak into the eighth seed. They are perhaps one of the most dangerous eighth seeds in recent memory.
“They are the best scoring team in the bubble,” LeBron said. “You have to try to get multiple stops and you can’t try to outscore them. They’re not your typical eighth seed. I don’t think they would’ve been the eighth seed if they were healthy all year. I’m not going in as a one seed versus eight seed. I’m going in with it’s the Lakers versus Portland.”
The Lakers don’t have anybody to stop Lillard while the Blazers don’t have anyone who can stop LeBron. It should end up being a very high scoring series.
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Rob Pelinka Sends Strong Message About LeBron James Ahead of Playoffs