In the Lakers’ 130-125 win over the Clippers on Wednesday, LeBron James faced a familiar foe in the Crypto.com arena.
Russell Westbrook, who was acquired from the Lakers last season, dropped 24 points while shooting 42% for the game and that was enough to get LeBron’s attention on the spot.
In a leaked audio clip from the event, James can be heard encouraging his teammates to tackle Russ just minutes before making an impressive save on the former MVP.
“No, we are better than that!
” Take it off, you got to keep it,” LeBron told his guys.
It was a close game late, but the Lakers pulled through thanks to the heroics of LeBron and Anthony Davis, who dropped 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in the 47th minute.
Through the first four games, the Lakers duo have had an impressive start to the season and they seem to be on track to continue the path they left off in May.
as it advances to the Western Conference Finals Does Russ have any beef?
After Westbrook’s departure last season was described as a “vampire” leaving the locker room, it really painted a picture of how toxic things had become for the Lakers.
While LeBron was supportive of the addition of Westbrook, it was a decision he almost immediately regretted after it became clear that he wasn’t a good fit for the current regime.
Although LeBron has said little about Westbrook, there are signs that they are not on the best of terms.
During Wednesday’s game, he mysteriously jumped over Westbrook while greeting Clippers players before the game.
There are also some questionable comments LeBron made during Westbrook’s final days in Los Angeles.
As for Westbrook, we already know how he feels about LeBron and his move to the Lakers.
According to his testimony, the Lakers unfairly blamed him when they tried to win games.
According to Westbrook, he was never truly appreciated or embraced by the Lakers, and he was never allowed to be himself on the court.
Who will win the West?
With the Clippers, Westbrook was undoubtedly part of the best team of his entire career.
Together, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden would give Westbrook the perfect opportunity to develop, and it could usher in the ultimate version of this Clippers team.
For Russ, winning the title this season after all he has endured over the past three years would be the ultimate validation of his career and it would be the ultimate revenge against his enemies and the teams that abandoned him.
Meanwhile, on the Lakers side, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are working overtime to get off to a good start this season.
With a 3-2 record, they are certainly playing better than last time, but the jury is still out on how they stack up against the other elite teams in the Western Conference.
But with Russ gone and replaced with more suitable players, the Lakers at least have a chance to move on, which is more than they could have said 16 months ago.
