After being out 17 games with a groin injury LeBron James made his return to the court and played in the last four games with the Los Angeles Lakers before the All-Star break. Now that we are getting to the final stretch of the season, the Lakers want to make a push and get into the playoffs. Currently, they are tenth in the West with a 29-29 record, they are also 2.5 games back from the eight seed the Los Angeles Clippers.
On Wednesday, LeBron talked to the media about this final part of the season and what the Lakers need to get in the playoffs. LeBron talked about two aspects that the team has to improve to make the playoffs push, turnovers and free throw shooting. He’s also very confident in the team’s capacity and thinks that if they get into the postseason they have good chance to win against any team they face. LeBron also said that his playoff mentality has been activated and that he is prepared to face the challenge and help the team to achieve the goal of getting in the playoffs.
? LeBron James reflects on #NBAAllStar Weekend and looks ahead to the regular season stretch run. pic.twitter.com/glO9CpQWod
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 20, 2019
Lakers guard Josh Hart also talked about the importance of these last games and the team’s mentality.
“Right now the biggest thing is we can’t be too conservative. … Every game is the most important game, and we just gotta keep building. We’re ready to make a push. No one has their head down, no one is regretting anything. We’re all focused on making a push for these playoffs.”
In his 16 seasons in the league, LeBron has only missed the playoffs twice and it was in his first two seasons in the NBA. Right now, he has 13 consecutive appearances in the playoffs and 8 straight trips to the NBA Finals. As for the Lakers, they have missed the postseason five straight seasons, which is the longest playoff deficit in franchise history. LeBron and the team hope to put an end to this streak and get the Lakers back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
