LeBron James has finally returned to the Lakers lineup after missing three consecutive games since breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record. The gold and purples lost two of those three games.
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Until the fateful game against OKC, LeBron had been dealing with ankle soreness for an extended time. He had braved the issue and continued to play right until the matchup against Oklahoma. After surpassing Kareem, LeBron eventually relented and rested for three games.
FS1 analyst Skip Bayless, who is known to be an ardent LeBron critic, called out James for focusing on records.
Skip Bayless calls out LeBron James for chasing records instead of winning games
Amid LeBron’s much-awaited return to the Lakers lineup, Skip Bayless took an obvious shot at the superstar. He lashed out at James for ‘prioritizing’ records over his team’s records. Bayless also declared that LBJ has no more excuses left now.
Skip Bayless: “YES: The Greatest Scorer finally decided play tonight after Passing Kareem. His team leads NBA in underachieving – 6 under .500 w 24 to play vs 22nd easiest closing schedule. NO MORE EXCUSES. Time to prioritize winning over record-breaking. This team should be 4 seed, not 13th.”
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 16, 2023
Skip’s criticism was directed only and only at LeBron. He gave the Lakers executive credit for building a brilliant roster but called out LeBron at the same time for not using the team properly to win.
Bayless’ praise for the gold and purples is rare. He tweeted his support for the team during today’s game and also pointed out the improvement in the team since Russell Westbrook’s exit.
Lakers’ looked excellent tonight
The Lakers absolutely dominated the New Orleans Pelicans tonight. The lineup not only looked more coordinated but also more focused.
Defensively, there was nothing lacking in LA’s game. They were guarding each position brilliantly and skillfully keeping CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram from dominating the game.
Offensively, they struggled a bit in the second quarter. However, by the end of the third, the gold and purple were back to their rhythm and were making good shots.