LeBron James Talks James Harden, Russell Westbrook Ahead Of Lakers-Rockets
LeBron James sent a clear message to James Harden and Russell Westbrook on Thursday afternoon: he has a lot of respect for their skills.
Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets squaring off in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals showdown, James spoke to the media about what precisely Harden and Westbrook bring to the table.
“I think what people get lost in translation with James is how available he is to his teammates, night in and night out,” he said.
Cavs fans are pissed. https://t.co/bixgqiZ0Xs
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“I mean, if you look at how many games he plays per year, and how many minutes he plays throughout the course of his career, pretty much he’s always been available. He’s always been in uniform, and he’s been doing this at a high level for a lot of years.”
James expressed a similar amount of admiration for Westbrook and his skillset.
“With Russ, he’s just an assassin,” the Lakers star observed.
“I mean, he’s full throttle, and he could care less what anyone thinks about his game, he goes out and plays his way, and he’s been successful in doing that.”
LeBron James on what he respects about James Harden and Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/vrDO53Qtzr
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 3, 2020
Although Harden and Westbrook are both MVPs and capable of going off on any given night, they struggled late in their seven-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Currently, the Lakers are -355 to win the series and odds makers predict they will do it in five games.
That said, Houston went 2-1 against Los Angeles in the season series – and both wins came after the Rockets implemented the small ball gameplan they continue to use to this day.
Will the Lakers have an answer for it in the postseason? Time will tell.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
