The Los Angeles Lakers are set to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA Playoffs next week. Much has already been theorized about the three seed’s chances against six-seed Minnesota, but the hottest point has been the defense of LeBron James. Paul Pierce has thoughts to share about that. As one of the few players who rivaled prime LeBron, Pierce believes that the playoffs are where James has always shined.
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Despite what Pierce may say, however, it does make sense that people are worried about LeBron’s defense. Now at 40 years old, there has been a noticeable downturn in James’ performance. The guy who was once an absolute iron man has missed some time with lower body injuries. He’s still LeBron James, no doubt, but the worries track.
The inciting moment for this argument was when an anonymous scout came to say that James will be “exposed” and that “you can score on him with the right matchup.” Pierce was incensed by this.
“I think LeBron in the regular season, he coasted a little,” admitted Pierce. “But, you’re not gonna go out there seeking out Bron to try to expose him in the playoffs. Even at the age of 40, he’s not chopped liver.”
LeBron has a long history of being a playoff riser, especially on defense. We all remember the chase down block in the 2016 Finals, which may just be the greatest defensive play in NBA history. Pierce is absolutely correct in expecting the same to continue.
Pierce feels the Timberwolves and other playoff teams will seek out Luka Doncic, not LeBron. Seeing what the Boston Celtics did to Doncic in last year’s Finals, that seems likely.
There are very few players who can exploit LeBron James, even at his advanced age. He will be facing one of them in Anthony Edwards, but he has responded well to other challenges in the past. From Steph Curry to Jimmy Butler, James has played against superstars in high stakes playoff matchups for decades now, so expecting him to fail is betting against better judgement.
One thing is clear, however. Paul Pierce has seen LeBron take over games on both sides of the ball in person. He’s not so foolish to go against the guy who went 17-13 against him in the playoffs.
