‘It was like every other player”: Lakers’ LeBron James responds to beef with Jae Crowder in Game 1 vs Heat

While Jae Crowder and LeBron James may have come to jaw at each other in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the King is not taking the clash too seriously ahead of Game 2.

The Los Angeles Lakers finished a beatdown of the Miami Heat in Game 1 on the back of an emphatic 75-30 run. The battle between the duo came smack in the middle of this run, at the stroke of halftime.

Circumstances of the faceoff between LeBron James and Jae Crowder

The Heat had already given up a 13-point lead and Crowder put his hand in the cookie jar after a shooting foul had been called on James. This kind of angered James, who wished to assert his physical and mental dominance on the game. While Crowder didn’t have much to say at the time, LeBron was caught mouthing off at his former teammate.

Also Read: ‘LeBron James was going to end him’: Lakers star mouths off Heat’s Jae Crowder for slamming ball off his hands

LeBron and Jae Crowder exchange words. pic.twitter.com/tCYSRZRovA

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 1, 2020

LeBron’s reaction to being asked about the incident ahead of Game 2

Given how physical the nature of James’s play has been through the course of his career, it was no surprise to hear him downplay the incidents of Game 1. James said it was like facing every other individual that he had through the course of his NBA career.

Yeah, uh, no love lost between LeBron and Jae Crowder still pic.twitter.com/8qY5aoupKR

— Finals Faigen (@hmfaigen) October 1, 2020

LeBron James and Jae Crowder got into it a bit in Game 1. LeBron addresses facing Jae Crowder after playing together and battling against him in the past.

(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/SbMP0DDGKI

— LakeShow (@LakeShowCP) October 1, 2020

A player with as much Finals experience as James has accrued through his NBA career would know the importance of not focusing on irritants. Crowder falls under that category for a player of James’s talents.