LOS ANGELES – The L.A. Clippers had a rare practice day Thursday afternoon, 12 hours removed from their home win over the Sacramento Kings and 24 hours away from taking on LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately for the purple and gold, it appears as though James will not take the court against the Clippers in their first matchup of the season.
James injured his groin in the third quarter of the Lakers' Christmas Day showdown against the defending champion Golden State Warriors, but his team was still able to pull out the victory. Now, it appears as though the Lakers are preparing to be without James for the next several games, which includes the game against the Clippers on Friday night.
When asked about James' injury, head coach Doc Rivers said it's not something you see very often from *knock on wood* one of the healthiest superstars the NBA has ever seen.
“I thought he was cyborg — I was shocked,” said Rivers about James' groin injury. “And even when he did it, even when he said it popped, I was watching the game and I said, ‘He'll be in for the next play.' I've seen him twist his ankle when his ankle bone hit the floor and he dunked the next play, you know? He's different than a lot of us, so it is unusual.”
Groin injuries are nothing to mess with, which is why James, the Lakers' training staff, as well as his own trainers know he can't be rushed back onto the court or they could be looking at a season-long issue if he aggravates it.
Rivers went on to praise James for being mentally tough enough to play through the bumps, bruises, twists, and knockdowns that the NBA provides on a nightly basis.
“I think where he doesn't get enough credit, I think a lot of that is mental toughness,” added Rivers. “I think he's so mentally tough, as crazy as it sounds, he's just not going to be injured. There's a lot of guys who accept injuries and there's a few guys who just say, ‘Nope, I'm not gonna be injured.' And LeBron is in that category. It's rare, but it's another reason why he's great.”
Not sure how much mental toughness actually has to do with being injured, but what is known is that James spends well over a million dollars annually to keep his body in top shape for the regular season.
The Clippers and Lakers tip off Game 1 of their battle-of-L.A. season series tomorrow night at 7:30 PM PST. That game will be a Lakers home game.
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