LeBron James faced a well-known opponent in Crypto.com Arena during the Lakers’ 130-125 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday. After being traded from the Lakers last season, Russell Westbrook scored 24 points on 42% shooting in the contest, which was sufficient to catch LeBron’s eye immediately. Minutes before he made an incredible block on the former MVP, James can be heard urging his teammates to get after Russ in a clip that was leaked from the event.
“No, that’s not how we do it! LeBron instructed his teammates, “You just take the f*ck off; you gotta guard him.”
It was a tight game down the stretch, but the Lakers were able to pull away thanks to heroics from LeBron and Anthony Davis, who dropped 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 47 minutes. Through the first four games, it has been an impressive start for the Lakers duo this season and they look on track to pick up right where they left off in May when they made a run to the Western Conference Finals.
Do LeBron And Russ Have Beef?
After Westbrook’s departure last season was described as a “vampire” leaving the locker room, it really painted a picture of just how toxic things had gotten for the Lakers. Despite LeBron advocating for the addition of Westbrook, it was a move he almost instantly came to regret after it became clear that he did not fit the current regime. While LeBron has spoken very little about Westbrook, there are some clues that they are not on the best of terms. In Wednesday’s game, he mysteriously skipped Westbrook while greeting Clippers players before the game. There are also some of the questionable comments that LeBron made during Westbrook’s final days in Los Angeles.
As for Westbrook, we already know how he feels about LeBron and his time on the Lakers. According to his testimony, the Lakers unfairly put the blame on him when they struggled 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 is arguably on the best team of his entire career. Together, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden should provide the perfect opportunity for Westbrook to thrive and it could unlock the peak version of this Clippers team. For Russ, winning the title this season after everything he endured over the past three years will be the ultimate validation for his career and it will be the ultimate payback against his haters and the teams who abandoned him.
Meanwhile, for the Lakers, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are working overtime to get off on the right foot this season. With a 3-2 record, they are certainly doing better than last time but the jury is still out on how they stack up against the other Western Conference elites. But with Russ gone and replaced with better-fitting players, the Lakers at least have a chance to go all the way, which is more than they could have said 16 months ago.
