LeBron James was averaging 27.4 points per game until Game 1 in the conference semis against Houston Rockets. He played for 37 minutes and scored only 20 points in the game. In the last quarter, his 9 minutes on the court gave zero output in terms of points scored. This led to the Lakers trailing in the quarter and eventually losing the game.
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The Lakers had the advantage of having six days of rest before the game against the Rockets. However, that evidently turned into a disadvantage as they showed rust in the game. Their Game 5 against the Blazers was merely a competition because there was no challenge without Damian Lillard. Hence, it was sure to get tough playing opposite the duo of Russ and James Harden.
But what about LeBron James, who had earlier claimed that it was good for his body to get that kind of rest?
Houston Rockets forward knows a thing or two about taming LeBron James
In Game 1, there were instances when LeBron won a rebound by jumping like a beast and denying Russell Westbrook a layup. He was looking strong in the first half, but soon lost control. Rockets guard Eric Gordon was put to defend LeBron, and he did a convincingly decent job.
In an interview, he reflected on his experience of guarding one of the best men. Gordon expressed, “He’s always going to be tough to slow down, period. You just have to make him take contested shots and try to make it hard. You don’t want to get it to the point where he’s getting everyone involved and knocking down shots.”
Rockets guard Eric Gordon on defending LeBron James: "He’s always going to be tough to slow down, period. You just have to make him take contested shots and try to make it hard. You don’t want to get it to the point where he’s getting everyone involved and knocking down shots."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 5, 2020
It can be overwhelming for a 6’4” player to stand against a 6’8” tall legend who is playing at a great speed and with immense power. Conventionally, PJ Tucker takes on The Akron Hammer while Eric Gordon remains on Anthony Davis. But at times they find their roles switched according to the situation.
Eric Gordon had a commendable Game 1
EG added 23 points in the game. He scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter and looked dangerous as he extended the Rockets’ lead over Lakers. His NBA playoffs 2020 performance has been substantially better than his regular-season by +4.4 points per game in the eight post-season matches so far. But it is still too soon to claim that he is a great defensive player against a player like LeBron.
Have a look at Bron breaking past the defense from Game 1-
The cameras have captured the L-Train many a time making loud roars staring at empty stands with fan posters. If he comes back angrier in Game 2, the Lakers can make it even against the Rockets.
