After LeBron James’ 19-point fourth-quarter heroics against the Clippers, perpetual detractor Skip Bayless had to give him his props. After the Lakers erased a 21-point deficit, courtesy of King James, Skip Bayless had a lot of praise for him. The FS1 Analyst used the analogy of “shooting right through the heart” while bringing James’ herculean effort. As per the analyst, James’ charge was fuelled by the cross-town rivalry with the Clippers.
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It seems as if the Lakers forward was on a mission to prove that he was the “real King” of LA. On his show Undisputed, Bayless highlighted LBJ’s heroics,
“I thought LeBron shot them right in the heart. I thought he said, ‘This is it! It’s gonna be my turn, my house, not yours. It’s your home game, it’s my house.’”
There was some Clippers collapse, but I thought LeBron shot them through the heart. I think he takes this rivalry seriously. https://t.co/MWeJclCCB0
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 29, 2024
Bayless also brought out the fact that the Lakers had lost 11 straight games to the Clippers before the 2023-24 season. But during the 2023-24 season, they won the regular series 3-1. Apart from that, the analyst directed the attention to Kawhi Leonard’s New Balance commercial where he proclaims himself as the “King”. This ad may have also given James the boost to down the Clippers throughout the season. Bayless also criticized Leonard for missing a baseline fadeaway over LeBron James that could have tied the game with around 4 seconds left.
He also called Leonard out for flailing his hands as if to sell a foul which led to an open break for the Lakers that sealed the deal. At any rate, because of the Clippers’ lackadaisical play in the fourth quarter, James and his Lakers finally registered a regular season series win against the Clips in more than a decade.
Los Angeles Clippers owned the Los Angeles Lakers
Surprisingly, it is the first time in six seasons that LeBron James and the Lakers won a series against the Clippers. The Clippers had won every regular season series since the 2012-13 season. They had been dominating the Lakers ever since the Chris Paul-Blake Griffin era when Kobe Bryant was in his swansong years.
The trend continued for many years which shows which team has achieved more regular season success since the 2010s. Having lost 37 times and winning merely 16, this season, the Lakers surely took a big step at getting some parity.
While the regular season series holds a lot of value, it is the Playoffs where the Clippers need to prove their mettle. LBJ and Anthony Davis propelled the Lakers to the 2020 ring and they even made it to the 2023 Western Conference Finals. This season as well, it seems the King is not ready to give it up. He has come through for the team in several clutch situations and his presence will keep the hopes of the franchise alive.
For the Clippers, which has no Finals appearance in their four-decade-long existence, the pressure to perform in the postseason is higher. Anyway, In the end, it is a ring or bust in Los Angeles City.
