Lakers: LeBron James says Clippers game isn’t just another game

While some may try to downplay the rivalry, LeBron James embraces the Lakers vs. Lakers rivalry. Clippers matchup.

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  Edwin Garcia
  

• exist November 2, 2023 4:26 pm

The NBA season is a marathon.

It’s an 82-game season, players are rested throughout the year, and only a handful of teams have a real chance to win the championship, so it’s easy to become indifferent to the details – though not in the Silver Screen and Roll stuff we love.

You’ll often hear phrases like “just one of 82 games” or “just another game.” There’s a subtext to these cliches that, at the end of the day, these games are all equally important. However, there are some games that even the coolest NBA stars admit carry a certain weight. For LeBron James, the Lakers-Clippers game fits that bill.

“I think any time you play against someone across the aisle, it’s always more than just another game,” James said after the game. “To me, playing against the best player (Paul George) , Kawhi and (Russell) are always great to compete with.” Westbrook) is the best trio this league has ever seen. To be able to go out there against them and compete – me wearing the purple and gold and them wearing their colors and competing – it’s an absolute blessing. Let’s not take these moments for granted. It’s definitely fun. “

It was probably more interesting for James, as he dominated the team, scoring 35 points. LeBron also had the biggest highlight of the night when he connected on an alley-oop from Austin Reeves as the game signal, meaning the Lakers beat the Ty Lue-coached Clippers for the first time.

Even though James is the biggest star in the game, he made sure to send flowers to his supporters and thank them for providing the right amount of energy to come back and beat the Clippers.

“Myself, AD and everybody else, we just want to attack them,” LeBron said. “Dero is right there with us, (Reeves) is right there, (Christian Wood), and that’s for two teams. It’s an important game for the team. Win, lose or draw, I think both teams feel better and the fans saw a great performance.”

James is right. You could feel the energy in the stadium and it was clear this wasn’t just “another game.” Crypto.com Arena was sold out, and the notoriously late Lakers fans were seated minutes before tipoff. The game was aired in prime time on ESPN, and every national publication and news site was on hand to cover it.

No matter who your allegiance is, the Lakers vs. Lakers rivalry is clear. The Clippers were a great matchup, but the Lakers made some changes and ultimately came out on top.

The next game between these two Los Angeles giants is on January 7th, and you can bet the energy will be just as high as it was on Wednesday night.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter: @ECreates88.

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