A lot will be on the line for both teams when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals. At an individual level, LeBron James also has his legacy on the line as he looks to lead the Lakers to their second trip to the NBA Finals in the past four years.
For ESPN sports analyst Michael Wilbon, this is more than just another conference finals trip for LeBron James. Wilbon believes that James cannot afford to lose to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets at this point in his career:
“It doesn't matter how old LeBron is. If Jokic gets the best of LeBron, it's a checkmark forever and ever,” Wilbon said.
"It doesn't matter how old LeBron is. If [Nikola] Jokic gets the best of LeBron, it's a checkmark forever and ever."
— Michael Wilbonpic.twitter.com/483OFDgyfo
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 16, 2023
Despite the fact that the Lakers are the No. 7 seed taking on the top-seeded Nuggets, one could argue that most of the pressure still lies on LA in this series. At 38, this could quite possibly be the last time LeBron James is able to find himself in this position to legitimately contend for a championship. We all know the struggles the Lakers had to go through this season, as well as the gargantuan effort they had to put in to turn their campaign around. In spite of all the amazing things he's been doing this season, you can't really say if LeBron can do this all over again next year and beyond.
For his part, Nikola Jokic has an amazing opportunity to take down LeBron and the Lakers, and as Michael Wilbon put it, potentially earn a checkmark over James that will last forever.
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