LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were unable to close out their NBA Playoffs series against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, losing 121-106 at Chase Center to force a Game 6 back at Crypto.com Arena.
James addressed Steve Kerr’s comments after Game 4 claiming gamesmanship and flopping on LA’s part, echoing coach Darvin Ham’s refute that that is not Lakers basketball.
“We don’t work on flopping…We’re just not a team that goes out there looking for flopping opportunities,” James said after the game. “That’s just not us. It’s actually never been any team that I’ve played on in my 20 years where we have been a flopping team.”
“We don’t work on flopping… We’re just not a team that goes out there looking for flopping opportunities. That’s just not us. It’s actually never been any team that I’ve played on in my 20 years where we have been a flopping team.”
— LeBron Jamespic.twitter.com/Jh3Ur8RZwy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 11, 2023
James wasn’t the only one player who addressed the comments; Dennis Schroder had some strong words for Kerr after Game 4.
“Steve Kerr went on the media and he said that they didn’t get no calls, we flopped all game, they didn’t get no free throws. But if you shoot 53 threes, how are you gonna get to the free throw line?” Schroder said on a live YouTube stream with Adan Ross. “I didn’t really feel that one, his comments on that and that we’re flopping and doing all those things.”
James was already looking to Friday night’s game, rather than dwelling on the Game 5 loss.
“It is what it is, they have the right to say what they want to say, but the game is always won in between the four lines,” he explained. “And we gotta be better on Friday for sure.”
The superstar finished with 25 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles; Anthony Davis added 23 points and nine boards but went to the locker room late after getting hit in the head by Kevon Looney as they fought for positioning in the paint during the fourth quarter.
The series now shifts back to LA where the Lakers are 5-0 at home this postseason; they’ve won eight consecutive games on their own floor since losing to the Chicago Bulls on Mar. 26.
LeBron James and the Lakers will try again to eliminate the defending champions and advance to the Western Conference Final on Friday night.
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