LeBron James arrives at the game against Golden State 5 hours before kick-off (from the NBA's official website)
The intriguing series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors came to an end Saturday morning after the Angels finished 2-4 with 101:122 at home. In doing so, the champions ended up in the second round, in what was their first playoff loss to a Western Conference team in the Steve Kerr era.
Anthony Davis gets most of the praise in the current playoffs and was great again with 17 points and 20 rebounds, but above everyone else in the Lakers is LeBron James this time. The 38-year-old star was hot with 30 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds, which lifted him to fourth all-time in the playoffs at the expense of Shaquille O'Neal.
Legends. LeBron and Curry at the end of the series
On top of that, James is now counting 41 series wins over his illustrious career, breaking his all-time record after being tied with Lakers legend Derek Fisher. The regional final against Denver will be the 12th of LeBron's career — he has a 1-10 record so far, with the only loss coming way back in 2009, still in his first stint in Cleveland, against Dwight Howard's Orlando.
"It's a crazy journey and I hope it doesn't end," admitted Darwin Ham, who is doing a great job in his first season as head coach. We went through two great teams, including one that won four championships. I enjoy myself and don't let anything stress me out. It's basketball, it's fun."
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The end of the road? Green and Kerr (Photo: Reuters)
On the losing side, Golden State is preparing for a summer of soul-searching and perhaps even a facelift. Klay Thompson is entering the final year of his contract, Draymond Green has a player option for next season, and no less important is general manager Bob Myers, who is terminating his contract and considering his future. Green said after the game that he had not yet made a decision on exercising the option. He added that he was very concerned about Myers' future, saying it could influence his decision.
Steve Kerr, who suffered his first loss in a non-Finals playoff series, concluded: "I want to congratulate the Lakers, they're a great team. Darwin Ham and his staff have done a good job, he's a rookie coach who's seen it all. LeBron and Davis were great and dominated the series. In Games 1 and 4 the series was decided, we had our chances, but in the key moments of those two games the Lakers were better and that's what made the difference, the better team won."
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- NBA
Tags
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Golden State Warriors
- Draymond Green
- LeBron James
