Jabari Smith Jr. found himself at the centre of social media before Game 5 of the Houston Rockets-LA Lakers first-round series. He had confidently said the Rockets were “obviously the better team,” even though they were trailing 3-1 at the time. Naturally, people were waiting to see how LeBron James would respond.
After the Lakers lost Game 5, James finally addressed it. He made it clear that the comment didn’t get under his skin at all. Having spent more than 21 years in the league, he has heard it all before and knows talk doesn’t win games.
“I don’t care about s**t like that, bro,” James admitted. “The game is won between the four lines. I don’t give a damn who cares. I mean, of course, you say it. Why would you say it, ‘We’re not the better team’? Ask one of them young guys that question. I’m too old for that s**t.”
While LeBron stayed unfazed mentally, the Rockets backed up Smith Jr.’s claims on the court. They took control in the second quarter with a strong 30-19 run and never really let the Lakers take over. Even when LA tried to come close, Houston kept them at arm’s length and secured a 99-93 win in a game that only saw five lead changes and three ties.
Smith Jr. followed up his bold statement with one of his best playoff outings so far. He led the team with 22 points and added seven rebounds and three assists.
LeBron still delivered his usual all-around performance, finishing with 25 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. His numbers backed up exactly what he said, not allowing Smith Jr.’s comments to affect him.
LeBron James slammed Alperen Sengun mid-game
Things got heated in the final period of Wednesday’s matchup when LeBron James found himself in the middle of a minor verbal altercation.
As he walked to the free-throw line, Alperen Sengun was heard complaining to the official that it was a “soft a** foul.” That comment didn’t sit well with James. Clearly irritated, James turned to Sengun and responded right away, calling him out in front of everyone.
“Nah, not you. Anybody else on your roster but you?” James said to Sengun. “You don’t say that, you don’t say that. You’re the only person out here who can’t say that. Soft a** tall guy.”
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