LeBron James has faced a wave of criticism after the recent clips showcasing his defensive lapses in a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. The star forward noted he's unbothered by the naysayers, rather zoned into the goal at hand of bringing the Los Angeles Lakers to the playoffs.

“I really don’t care. Criticism doesn’t bother me,” James told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports after posting 33 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block in 37 minutes. “I love to play the game and my teammates know what I do for them and that’s all that matters. … The only thing motivating me is how I can try to help my teammates be successful and trying to win ball games.”

James scoffed at the notion that his defense has taken a wild hit since coming back from injury, as clips show him rather uninterested in defending his man and going through the motion in lackadaisical attempts to stop the offensive player.

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The King noted he won't be able to get a stop every time, but challenged those who think he's a cakewalk and could potentially target him as less-than average defender.

“So if [teams are] switching out on me with a guard and me having to try to get a stop, I mean, guys, they’re going to score. These are NBA players. I just try to make it tough on them. I tried to make it tough on Julius [Randle] all night, and obviously he was a monster [with a game-high 35 points], but I tried to make it tough on Jrue as well. To be able to get that stop for our team and then be able to make that shot for our team, that’s motivating for me. That’s all that matters to me.”

James put up a much better effort on Wednesday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, only days after losing to them and then the Grizzlies, which raised questions about his rah-rah sentiments and less-than-desire defensive prowess on the court.