Los Angeles Lakers eclipse Suns, move into fifth in Western Conference

1. LeBron James set the tone, won and got rest!

I’m going to start this lesson with an old quote that I used from a prior post game…

"The NBA is a totally different ball game the way it is played and the way it is analyzed. With the Golden State Warriors playing small ball, the general managers basing every player’s talents on the analytics and fans on social media spouting out every stat in debates, it’s hard for some fans to even know what a good game is for players. With LeBron James, this is a scenario that plays itself out over and over again. The Lakers fans are going to have to find out what they command from James. Do they want him to be a force that leads the team to victories and a playoff run, or do they want to see exciting dunks…"

We’ve seen LeBron set records, passing Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time scoring list.

Los Angeles Lakers: 3 lessons from win vs Portland Trail Blazers

LeBron James officially became a Los Angeles Lakers player last night! He dominated and controlled the game in all aspects. Here are 3 lessons from the win.

And we’ve seen LeBron smash an entire franchise.

Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James makes Miami feel the Heat…Three lessons!

LeBron James decided that the Los Angeles Lakers would not lose two games in a row! See how LeBron James set the tone in a back to back game against Miami!

But this game was different. LeBron James was very efficient and dominated the game in a way that a box score can’t show!

LeBron didn’t lead the Lakers in scoring in this game (Kyle Kuzma did, more on him…stay tuned!) but he controlled the entire game and energy.

LeBron James dropped 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out eight helpers. After the Lakers came out slow and got behind, James raised the level of play overall and the Suns could not match his intensity. The rest of the Lakers followed.

Watch these series of plays here.

With the Lakers behind, he blows by Trevor Ariza for a floater to beat the shot clock. It would have been easy to throw up a fadeaway jumper, but he was aggressive and put pressure on the Suns defense. This is just smart basketball here!

Now that LeBron James has set the precedent of being aggressive, it sets up plays like these.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1069352189183778816

LeBron James has the ball out top and is guarded, again, by Trevor Ariza. LeBron takes the lane he is given and drives to the basket strong. His move forces Deandre Ayton to rotate over and leave JaVale McGee alone under the basket. James hits him with the pocket pass and McGee tears the rim down.

We all know he can do this.

LeBron James talked about his challenges on balancing when he needs to defer to his teammates and taking over games.

I had my own take in an in-depth report!

Lakers Rumors: LeBron James ignoring calls from the sideline

The Lakers rumors have been in effect since Magic Johnson signed LeBron James in the offseason. Lakers rumors used to be about players. This one's different

This game may be a serious turning point in the Lakers season. Magic Johnson has made it clear on what style of play he wants to see for the Lakers. The longer this season goes on, it becoming more evident that the man knows what he is talking about. His vision is coming to fruition and it is working.