Jalen Rose believes the greatness of LeBron James and the momentum of the LA Rams bullied the Utah Jazz: “They saw Aaron Donald on the front row”
LeBron James had a monumental fourth-quarter performance in the LA Lakers' 106-101 win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Sitting in the front row to witness the greatness firsthand was freshly minted Super Bowl champion Aaron Donald.
Donald, a defensive tackle for the LA Rams, is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players of all time, with three Defensive Player of the Year Awards.
LeBron James and momentum of LA Rams bully Utah
ESPN's Jalen Rose, a former NBA player, talked about the greatness of LeBron James paired with Aaron Donald seated in the front row.
Rose said the Lakers came back because:
“The greatness of LeBron James and the momentum of the Rams winning the championship bullied the Jazz.”
Rose explained:
“When Kobe (Bryant) scored 60 in his final game, he fed on the momentum of the crowd. … Last night, they saw Aaron Donald on the front row. There was a psychology to LeBron James' attack.”
Anthony Davis suffered an ankle sprain halfway through the game, so the Lakers were forced to go on without him. Utah entered the fourth quarter ahead 79-71. James then scored 15 points in the final quarter, including 10 straight in crunch time. Russell Westbrook iced the game with a pair of free throws.
James finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists. His night included an intensely clutch final quarter, but also many big plays throughout the game. James had to drive right up against defensive great Rudy Gobert all night, and Gobert had no answer.
Rose said James saw Aaron Donald and fed off of that beast energy. If that is the case, Lakers fans everywhere will hope for more LA Rams players to show up courtside.
The LA Lakers (27-31) have been disappointing thus far, in ninth place in the Western Conference.
James is going to have to bring that animal out more often if he hopes his squad will make it far in the playoffs. The Lakers have been dealing with chemistry and injury issues all season, and are now again without Davis.
Westbrook looks to be picking things up a little bit, but in any case, James remains the beast he is and can erupt at any time. It makes sense for James to get fired up after seeing Donald. If anyone saw James dancing at the Super Bowl, they can see just how much the Rams bring out the animal in “The King.”
This celebration came after James’ friend, Odell Beckham Jr., scored a touchdown. Imagine the animal that would awaken within LeBron if he saw OBJ courtside. In any case, the animal that is Donald would definitely inspire just about anybody. His most recent play was one of the greatest defensive stops in Super Bowl history, and he did it with ease.