LeBron James' Mission Impossible Against Nikola Jokic
LeBron James and his friends need a miracle against the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
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Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, LeBron James, dribbles the ball past New Orleans Pelicans basketball player, Brandon Ingram, in the NBA play-in round match at the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Wednesday (17/4/2024) WIB . The Lakers will meet the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs after the Lakers beat the Pelicans in the play-in round.
”The Lakers should give up against the Pelicans to avoid the Nuggets!” said Mike Greenberg, host of NBA onESPN. This opinion was echoed by two NBA analysts at ESPN, Tim Legler and Alan Hahn.
Even though they are strengthened by one of the best players in the history of basketball, LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers are not favored against the defending NBA champions, < a href="https://www.kompas.id/label/denver-nuggets?open_from=automate_body_url">Denver Nuggets, which is strengthened by Serbian center Nikola Jokic.
LeBron James, even though he is still nicknamed "The King", is an old king who will soon have to step down. He is 39 years old and has competed in the NBA for 21 seasons. In fact, his eldest son, LeBron Jr, has declared to enter the NBA draft at the end of this season.
Last season, when LeBron was one year younger, the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets, 0-4, in the Western Conference finals. "The Lakers would have a better chance of advancing to the second round of the playoffs if they met the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of the Nuggets," according to NBA analysts on ESPN.
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This is natural considering that the Thunder are strengthened by young players who have minimal experience in the playoffs. In fact, the team coached by young coach Mark Daigneault (39) is the team with the youngest average player in NBA history, namely 23.9 years, which is the first seed in the playoffs.
Now it's time to sprint. Time to run fast. We've been through a marathon. I will do whatever it takes. The (regular) season is over, it's time to win.
Los Angeles Lakers basketball player, Anthony Davis, was fouled by New Orleans Pelicans basketball player, Herbert Jones, in the play-in round match at the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Wednesday (17/4/2024) WIB. The Lakers will meet the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs after the Lakers beat the Pelicans in the play-in round.
One of ESPN's sports analysts, Shannon Sharpe, referred to the Thunder as the weakest top seed in NBA history. Therefore, it would be easier for James if they were to face the Thunder compared to the Nuggets.
The Lakers could meet the Thunders if they lose against the Pelicans and then win a play-in match against the Sacramento Kings to win the eighth seed in the western region. By occupying the eighth seed, they will also meet the first seed, Thunder. The victory over the Pelicans made the Lakers the seventh seed so they had to meet the Nuggets who were the second seed.
James' aging is one of the factors why the Lakers are less favored. LeBron James felt his physical condition, which was already old for an elite athlete. "I am very tired. Oh Lord!" said James as he got up from a chair in the Smoothie King Center dressing room, New Orleans, Wednesday (17/4/2024) morning WIB, to go to the bathroom, as quoted on the ESPN page. His voice sounded more irritated than enthusiastic even though he had just beaten the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in game to ensure a playoff ticket.
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The victory over the Pelicans ensures that James' old body gets four days' rest before meeting the Nuggets in the first match of the first round of the playoffs which will take place on Saturday (20/4) local time. The Lakers will need a lot of rest, and perhaps a miracle, to beat the defending champions.
James averaged 39.5 minutes of playing time and was the main player guarding Zion Williamson, as the Lakers beat the Pelicans two games in a row, one in the regular season finale and one in the play-in game. , to ensure a playoff ticket.
Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James throws the ball between New Orleans basketball players Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum during the play-in round game at Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, on Wednesday (17/4/2024) at WIB.
”Now it's time to sprint. Time to run fast. We've been through a marathon. I will do whatever it takes. "The (regular) season is over, it's time to win," said James.
However, the Lakers' record when facing the Nuggets is not quite encouraging. It has been almost 500 days since the last time the Lakers defeated the reigning champions. The Nuggets have won the last eight meetings with the Lakers, including four times in last season's Western Conference finals.
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However, the Lakers stated that the record no longer has any meaning now. Coach Darvin Ham assured this to his players. "Now it's back to 0-0. Of course, they have had a lot of success against us, but this is a new day," said Ham.
James said that the Lakers must try to reduce their mistakes if they want to have a chance of defeating the Nuggets. "There must be no mistakes. Make it difficult for them because they will also try to make it difficult for us," said James.
New Orleans Pelicans basketball player, Zion Williamson, tries to put the ball past Los Angeles Lakers basketball players, Anthony Davis and Taurean Prince, during the play-in round match at the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Wednesday (17/4/ 2024) WIB.
Stay alert
Although favored to defeat the Lakers again, Nuggets coach Michael Malone does not want his players to be complacent. Despite Jokic playing even better than last season, they should be cautious when facing James who remains one of the best NBA players today.
Jokic's game this season has made him a favorite to win the NBA MVP (Most Valuable Player) award. If he receives it, it will be his third award in the last four seasons.
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Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were also able to improve their performance. Jamal Murray had a great season despite being absent for 23 games due to injury.
As for Reggie Jackson, he was able to replace Bruce Brown's position as the leader of the bench players. He was able to collaborate with Chris Braun and Peyton Watson, who played spectacularly when Jokic was rested. "I am very proud of the fact that as champions, we have never felt satisfied throughout the year. You still have to feel hungry, because there are 29 teams that want to take our place," said Malone.
The Nuggets were not complacent after becoming champions. In fact, they were able to improve their game, as evidenced by the number of wins increasing by four games, and ending the season with a record of 57-25. This record is the same as the Thunder, which is the first seed in the western region. The Nuggets had to settle for second seed because they lost the tiebreaker with the Thunder.
Denver Nuggets basketball player, Nikola Jokic, holds the ball in an NBA game between Memphis Grizzlies and Nuggets in Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday (15/4/2024).
Malone also realizes how hard it is to win back-to-back championships, which the Golden State Warriors last did in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. ”The Western Conference Playoffs would be crazy. Forget about seed numbers. "There will be eight very talented teams, and there are some teams that wouldn't surprise me if they made it out of the West," Malone said.
Agreeing with his coach, Jokic also does not take their opponents lightly even though the Nuggets were able to sweep last season's regional finals and win three meetings with the Lakers this season. "Can we not mention that again?" said Jokic while laughing.
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"Amen," responded Malone. "Everyone keeps talking about how we beat them eight times in a row. And as I told the players, it doesn't mean anything anymore," said Malone.
The fight between James and Jokic will determine who advances to the second round. According to Jokic, it's not easy to sweep the Lakers. "There's no favorite, everyone can win or lose," he said. (AP/AFP)
