The Los Angeles Lakers nearly came up with a big comeback win against the Miami Heat on Sunday only for them to fall short after a sensational fourth-quarter run. Lakers vet Avery Bradley has spoken out about his team's current situation and he's slapped LeBron James and Co. with some harsh reality amid their current slump.
According to Bradley, the Lakers just haven't been improving enough throughout what has been a truly disappointing season for the purple and gold:
“We are not learning from our mistakes and as a veteran team as a team that is looking to go far in the postseason, I feel like we have to correct our mistakes and learn from those,” Bradley said, via Brook Smith of Fan Nation. “We just have to play better. It’s unfortunate, but tonight I liked our fight, but it was too late like I said.”
The Lakers outscored the Heat 37-24 to make a game out of what was looking like another major blowout. Unfortunately for them, their commendable effort came up short as the Heat were able to hold them off in crunch time. Miami emerged with the victory, 113-107.
Bradley also spoke about the Lakers' failed comeback against the Heat. In the mind of the 31-year-old vet, LA's overall effort on Sunday just wasn't enough:
“I think the main thing was the intensity. Just a little too late,” Bradley said. “We not only dug a hole for ourselves, but I think when we tried to match their intensity, the referees I would say they weren’t ready for our intensity, it was almost too late when we tried to raise our level of play.”
Bradley has established himself as a key part of the Lakers rotation this season. The two-time All-Defensive guard has started 34 games this season, producing averages of 7.0 points and 2.4 rebounds while also connecting on 1.4 triples per game.
LeBron and the Lakers return to action on Tuesday in a marquee matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant is still dealing with an injury and won't be available for Tuesday, but this will still be a tough test for a struggling LA side.