Los Angeles Lakers: 4 Lessons in a playoff opening beating by the Suns

LeBron James gave a perfect illustration of what being a “Distraction” is for the Los Angeles Lakers!

Most teams making a title run always talk about avoiding distractions going into the playoffs. The Lakers had theirs before Game 1 even started.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported early Saturday morning that violated protocol by attending a promotional event. Luckily for LeBron and the Lakers, the NBA did not suspend James. Charles Barkley had his take on Yahoo! Sports.

Whether anyone believes that LeBron James should have been suspended (The NBA’s number one attraction? PFFT!) or not is a moot point. The report brought a distraction to the team and it set a bad vibe going into this game.

After the first four minutes in the game, it looked like LeBron was determined to make the world forget the violation with 8 points early with two shots from long distance. he was the Lakers best 3 point shooter hitting 3-7. The rest of the team shot 4-19.

But make no mistake, LeBron James did not influence this game or pick up the slack when Anthony Davis was struggling. He finished with 18 points (6-13 shooting!) with 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

LeBron played a game that did not match the situation the Lakers needed for success.

James is going to have to become the scorer much like he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2018. Sub 20 point performances will not be enough for the Lakers to get out of this series. Especially when the team overall shoots 26.9 percent from the beyond the arc and 43.4 percent overall.

Even if James continues to hit his 3 pointers, Phoenix will live with it. The Suns would prefer LeBron to fire 27 footers rather than attack the basket. The Lakers 3 point shooters depend on  drive and kick opportunities. If LeBron is not penetrating the interior, it’s hard for the Lakers to even create good shots, let alone make them.

However…

• LeBron James has lost 6 of his last 9 Game 1 matchups, including this game.
• But he came back to win 4 of the last 5 series his teams fell behind in.

Even though LeBron James struggled in this game, Anthony Davis’ performance will be the topic of discussion up until Game 2. Read on to see what AD did or did not do.