The Los Angeles Lakers could’ve definitely asked for a ‘better’ reward for winning their Play-In Tournament game. Now, they’re all set for a date with the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets have beaten the Lakers eight times in a row, dating back to the Western Conference Finals. They’ve also gotten the best of them nine out of the last eleven times.
Even so, the Lakers didn’t want to take any chances and duck them by tanking against the New Orleans Pelicans. Per Anthony Davis, they’re never going to shy away from any matchup.
Anthony Davis, LeBron James Aren’t Afraid Of The Nuggets
“If they beat us, they beat us,” Anthony Davis, who also stated that he would be back to full strength ahead of Game 1 on Sunday, told The Athletic. “We’re not ducking the smoke.”
LeBron James, on the other hand, is ready to leave everything on the court. He tried to stay healthy for the playoffs, so there’s no more need to be cautious anymore:
“Ain’t no more pace,” James said. “Pace yourself for what? It’s now a sprint. It’s a sprint now. We already went through the marathon. I’ll do whatever it takes. I mean, all the percentages and all that s***, it’s out the window. The season’s over. So it’s about just winning. Win the game.”
LeBron Isn’t Overly Confident.
Then again, as much as he likes the Lakers’ chances, James knows the Nuggets aren’t going to be an easy opponent to deal with, and he believes this could go down to the wire:
“It’s the defending champion,” James said. “They know what it takes. They know how to win. They’ve been extremely dominant on their home floor over the last few years. They’ve got an MVP on their team. They’ve got a closer on their team. They’ve got high-level players, high-IQ players. And they’ve got a hell of a coach. So we have to play mistake-free basketball. Make it tough on them. They’re gonna try to make it tough on us, obviously. But if we can play as great of a game as we can play, and they’re gonna play as great of a game as they play, it’s gonna come down to one or two possessions. And we’ll see who executes then.”
The Nuggets have dominated this rivalry lately, but most of their wins have been close ones. Now, it remains to be seen whether James and the Lakers can finally turn things around.
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