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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who has built a rivalry with the Golden State Warriors over the last few years, admitted that he didn't give any input on their game plan for the Christmas Day matchup with the defending champs.
Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, James gave the credit to the Lakers' coaching staff for coming up with a strategy against the back-to-back defending champions. The Lakers won 127-101, even as James went down with a groin injury in the third quarter and did not return.
LeBron James in upbeat mood, telling Yahoo Sports he wasn’t involved in preparation of tonight’s gameplan: “None. I haven’t played [Golden State] enough to give my [input].” He credited the coaching staff.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 26, 2018
Before exiting the game, LeBron James already did his work. He had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in just 21 minutes of play. Throughout the game, the Lakers showed great discipline and familiarity with the Warriors' offense. It would be easy to pinpoint James as the one who's responsible for sharing tips on how to properly contain the defending champions. Since after four NBA Finals series with them, James probably knows the Warriors from inside-out.
When he left the game in the 7:51 mark of the third quarter, the Lakers had a comfortable 57-71 lead. However, as expected, the Warriors came storming back and trimmed the deficit to single digits. And without James, it seemed that another Warrior explosion was about to take place.
Yet as observed, the young Lakers squad held the fort down, led by veteran guard Rajon Rondo and big man Ivica Zubac. Even without James, the best player in the world, the purple and gold managed to survive.
