"I feel like poop right now" - LeBron James tries to keep a positive mindset despite another back-breaking loss for LA Lakers
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James looked distraught after yet another loss in the NBA, this time to the Dallas Mavericks.
Speaking during his post-game press conference, King James made his feelings very clear to fans and the media. James said:
"Obviously, at the end of the day, we got to come in here and win ballgames, and we got to play better. But as long as we've got more games to play, we should have a chance. So, that's my confidence. I hate losing. I feel like poop right now. But tomorrow is a new day, and I'm going to be prepared and ready for the Clippers on Thursday. That's just -- that's my mindset. That's just who I am."
LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers have endured a tough campaign thus far as their championship aspirations have gone out the window since the team is fighting for a spot in the postseason with the likeliest route into the playoffs through the Play-In tournament.
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Will LeBron James figure things out for the Lakers?
With the All-Star break behind us, more than half the season is over and the Lakers are yet to justify their championship aspirations with performances. This is a poorly constructed roster that has been struggling all season and will not, in all likelihood, even make the postseason if their performances don't improve.
One of the primary reasons why the Lakers have been struggling is because of Russell Westbrook's performances. His acquisition was supposed to ease the workload on LeBron James but has ended up compounding it. The former OKC Thunder superstar has been leaking turnovers, and the pace with which he plays has been detrimental to the NBA's oldest roster. He is averaging 4.0 turnovers this season.
This, coupled with Anthony Davis' and his unavailability, has caused serious problems for LeBron James and the Lakers this season.
LeBron James has his 500th career 30-point game. It's the 3rd most in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain (515) and Michael Jordan (562). https://t.co/k4X2oD38pe
While LeBron James isn't completely devoid of criticism because of his defense, he is still putting up MVP caliber numbers in the box score and the Lakers have very little to show for it. They are ranked 24th in the league for offensive rating and 15th in the league for defensive rating. The oldest roster in the NBA has struggled to cope with the younger legs that they're up against and has struggled to guard the perimeter.
The only way forward for the Lakers seemingly is to put Westbrook with the second unit and give the ball to LeBron James, the entire team he is on the court for them. Either way, he Lakers need to figure things out quickly if they want to make some serious noise in the postseason this year.