Dave McMennamin | ESPN23 de oct, 2023, 07:43 ETLectura: 5 min.
Durant shines in the Suns’ victory against LeBron and the Lakers
KD finished with 21 points in the first half, compared to 19 from James. Both players had not seen each other on a court since 2018, when Durant was still playing in Golden State.
LeBron James said he is “motivated” enough and won’t need a sometimes contentious summer with the Nuggets to help him prepare for opening night against the defending champions.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Five months removed from being eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets and just days before opening another season (his 21st in the NBA) against the same opponent, LeBron James generally took the hard way when asked about the champions defenders on Saturday.
“I don’t get very motivated anymore against who the opponents are,” James said after one of the Lakers’ final training camp practices before the regular season begins Tuesday in Denver. “I do not need it. I don’t want to say that I’m not motivated to play, because I am motivated to go against the competition, I love competing against the best. But I don’t need an individual or a team to motivate me. I’m motivated. “I am enough.”
James’ 20th season came to an end with a 40-point, 10-rebound, 9-assist performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. James played all 48 minutes, but it was still not enough to prevent Los Angeles from losing the game, 113-111, and the series, 4-0. The 38-year-old veteran told ESPN after the game that he would consider retiring in the offseason, and that the season took a toll on him both mentally and physically.
The Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, won the first championship in franchise history and made a few visits to Los Angeles as part of their celebratory tour. Denver coach Michael Malone was introduced as “the dad of the Lakers” during the team’s parade. Malone, who was once an assistant coach to James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, also poked fun at the former player’s retirement feelings about him.
“Speaking of the Lakers, I just want you to know, this is breaking news, that I’m thinking about retiring, so don’t tell anyone,” Malone said as a guest on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
James appeared to address Malone on his Instagram in June, without mentioning his name. “I hear I’m on your mind a lot, huh? “I mean, I guess I see why… Enjoy your light, but remember that I am the SUN.”
When asked Saturday what makes him respond to the many detractors who have targeted him throughout his decades-long career, and what makes him sometimes choose silence, James promised to bark at them all someday in the distant future.
“There will be a time,” James said. “When that time comes, I don’t know. I don’t know if it will be now or… there will be a moment. There will be a time when everyone will understand, for sure.”
For now, he wants the opportunity to add a fifth title to his already impressive resume.
“(I still) see the Larry O’Brien Trophy in my mind every day,” James said.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said this week that he believes there are eight teams that are “legitimate contenders” this season and “I like our chances better than anyone else.”
James echoed his coach’s confidence, but he wouldn’t rank Los Angeles among the rest of the field.
“We could be a really good team,” James said. And he added: “I’m not even looking at June. It’s too valuable, the game is too valuable, and I don’t play with the basketball gods like that. “I don’t take it for granted.”
On Saturday, Ham finally named a fifth starter for the opener, revealing that Taurean Prince will join James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell with the first unit. Jarred Vanderbilt, who filled that role last season, had left heel soreness reevaluated Friday and he participated on a limited basis in practice. Vanderbilt figures into the team’s day-to-day schedule, and Ham said he “in all likelihood” would not be available against Denver.
As Vanderbilt continues to progress, Los Angeles will at least have its leader back to 100%, after James missed 27 games last season with a right foot injury.
“It took a few months, but then when I was able to get back into training, I was able to do some things that I wasn’t able to do throughout the playoffs, probably even before the playoffs,” James said of his offseason rehab. “My workouts started getting better, my breathing started getting better, my fast twitch started getting better. I didn’t have to think about it that much.
“It’s great to have that feeling, just getting the engine back.”
2023-10-22 19:56:08
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