Lake Show Life
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Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons in a comeback win over Indiana Pacers

By Ronald Agers

Mar 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) loses the ball while going up for a shot after a foul by Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) loses the ball while going up for a shot after a foul by Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /

LeBron James coasted in this game…something the Los Angeles Lakers don’t need! 

Most media outlets will be quick to point out that LeBron James is being worn down averaging more than 34 minutes per game. Then there will be speculation about the workload James will have to carry without Anthony Davis.

Then there’s Lake Show Life, which sees things a little differently. He shouldn’t have been tired in this game. Let’s look at the scenario here.

  • He sat out the Sacramento game last Wednesday. He didn’t even travel with the team.
  • LeBron played only 13 minutes in the All-Star game on Sunday.
  • Then he had a few more days off coming into this game with only one practice. 

Shouldn’t LeBron play with more energy than he showed in this game? That being said, he did keep the Lakers in striking distance in the first half.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1370590457789485057

The problem here is that the Lakers need their MVP candidate to play like it if they want to keep in the top 4 ranking in the Western Conference. For LeBron apologists, a stat line of 18 points and 10 assists is just fine in a win over an injury-depleted team that was carried by one player in Malcolm Brogdon.

Lake Show Life sees the star player coasting on a 5-13 shooting night, which included only 2 points (1-4 shooting!) and two bricks from the free-throw line in the last nine minutes of the game.

Bottom line, if there’s no Kyle Kuzma or Montrezl Harrell, there’s no win. Period.

Is it good that LeBron James wasn’t required to carry the Lakers home in this game? Sure. But the Lakers have to play quite a few NBA contenders in the second half of the season.

When it comes to energy, the roster follows LeBron James. He is the barometer of how much energy is shown on a given night. If he plays aggressive two-way basketball, the Lakers are tough to beat. If he plays as he did in this one, the Lakers struggle. They almost got burned big time.

Enjoy the win Lakers fans because the Lake Show does have its fair share of issues. They are really starting to run out of healthy bodies. Frank Vogel still hasn’t put together a consistent rotation and Alex Caruso’s injury did not help. Read on to see what Lake Show Life sees.

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