Lakers’ Austin Reaves Comes To Defense of Star LeBron James

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost the first two games of the series against the Denver Nuggets. It’s not an ideal situation for players who beat the Golden State Warriors, but there’s no room for panic. Austin Reaves trusts his teammates and he definitely wants LeBron to continue his great work.

The four-time NBA champion shoots 51.4$ from the field, but goes 0-10 from beyond the arc. It’s not the best scenario for the king of basketball and analyst have some concerns about the outcome of the series.

“I mean, he can shoot all he wants,” Reaves said following the loss. “It’s LeBron James. I don’t think anybody bats an eye when he shoots a shot or questions his shot. We want him taking whatever he feels comfortable with, just because he’s a winning basketball player for his whole career and that’s all he wants to do, he wants to win.”

Head coach Darvin Ham couldn’t agree more. He wants the king of basketball to take the shots he can take in the series.

“He was open, they’re playing off of him,” Ham said. “He’s a highly capable 3-point shooter, he let it fly.”

Jamal Murray points to Mike Breen and calls "BANG" after hitting the three ? pic.twitter.com/NkwgqB1qsK

— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2023

LeBron, Reaves, and their teammates will try harder in Game 3

LeBron and pretty much every player in the NBA is tired at this point of the offseason. However, this is not an excuse for the king of basketball. The Lakers are coming off an ugly loss, but LeBron wants his team to “play with the same desperation.” They won’t give up without a fight and they will definitely try their best to beat the Nuggets in Game 3.

“This is not the NCAA Tournament. It’s the first team to four wins.”

LeBron on his mindset heading into Game 3 pic.twitter.com/EBlhfUWOMW

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 19, 2023

“We still got to play with the same desperation as we did tonight,” LeBron said. “We came out with an L but doesn’t give us any more comfort. We can’t go into any postseason game with comfort, just because you either haven’t lost at home or you’re going back home.”

Beating the Nuggets won’t be easy. LeBron trusts his dominance and so do his teammates. They came this far and their plan is to make the NBA Finals for the first time since 2020.

“What you take out of it is the fact that this is not the NCAA tournament,” James said after Game 2. “The first team to four wins.”