In the opening game of their first-round NBA Playoffs series, the Los Angeles Lakers lost 114-103 to the Denver Nuggets, despite 32 points from Anthony Davis and 27 from LeBron James.
LeBron clarified for the media what the Lakers and any other team hoping to win a championship needed to do after the game.
“I’ve never played on a championship team that didn’t pay attention to detail,” the Lakers great declared. It’s not an if, and, or but situation. You must.
LeBron is the best person to speak on this topic. James has won titles with the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Lakers in addition to the Lakers. He is aware of what it takes to survive the NBA Playoffs, and paying close attention to detail is crucial to that.
The Lakers committed a respectable 12 turnovers and 15 fouls in their Game 1 defeat to the Nuggets, demonstrating that they were not paying attention to detail. Their main problems were that they only made 27.6 percent of their 3-pointers and that no one else could really impact the game offensively save James and Davis.
However, when facing a group like the Nuggets, who can methodically dismantle opponents with.