The Los Angeles Lakers rely on the leadership of LeBron James during challenging times, with him being their leader. However, his inability to play on the court due to a foot injury has made it difficult for him to inspire and motivate his teammates.
Rather than actively participating in the game, LeBron is motivating and conversing with his teammates while he is on the sidelines. A notable instance of this occurred in the fourth quarter of the Lakers vs. Mavericks game when LeBron spoke with Anthony Davis. The interaction between the two talented players gained a lot of attention for various reasons.
Anthony Davis talked with LeBron James before making the mistake
LeBron x AD
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 18, 2023
At the time the video was captured, the Lakers were winning by three points, and there were only 50 seconds remaining on the clock. However, despite LeBron’s encouragement, Davis’s performance seemed to worsen. During the critical moments of the game, Davis made a couple of errors. Firstly, he committed a foul against Kleber, resulting in him scoring three free-throws. Later, Davis himself missed one of his free-throw attempts.
Finally, Davis attempted to challenge Maxi Kleber‘s three-point shot that would have won the game, but he was unsuccessful in doing so. Taking everything into account, Davis’s performance in the last minute of the game was highly forgettable.
NBA Fans react to James’ pep talk
Regardless of the outcome of the game, the interaction between LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the final quarter was bound to become a viral moment. If the Lakers had won the game, it would have been seen as a valuable lesson taught by James to Davis. However, since the Lakers lost the game, the fans’ response to the incident was negative.
Don’t know what he told him but he then went on to make a 3 pt foul, miss 1 ft and then not cover the game winning shot
— Sas (@sas_o07) March 18, 2023
AD fouled on a 3 and missed a free throw after this 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
— cyprex (@cxprex) March 18, 2023
Lebron has to tell AD to be aggressive LMAO
— kap (@hopefulmetsfan) March 18, 2023
Season on the line and he still not playing back to backs. SMH
— Coach Poe (@cpoe21) March 18, 2023
Fans had different interpretations of what James said to Davis, some believing that he provided words of encouragement while others thought he advised Davis to be more assertive during the game’s final moments. In any case, James’ words seemed to have a negative impact, as Davis failed to perform effectively. Although Davis had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists, it was insufficient to prevent the Lakers from suffering their 37th loss of the season against 34 wins.
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