LeBron James gave the Nuggets credit when asked about how they rank in the toughest teams he has faced in his lengthy career.
LeBron James has now lost ten straight games against the Denver Nuggets, marking the first time in his career that a team has beat him that many times in a row.
James is obviously not the player he once was, as he likely would’ve willed his team to at least a single win during this span if he was closer to his prime, but he is still a top-20 player in the NBA. The fact it took until James’ 21st season for a team to beat him in ten straight games shows how remarkable his career has been. It also says a lot about the Nuggets and how dominant they have been over the last two seasons.
They are on the verge of sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in back-to-back postseasons, something that hasn’t been accomplished by a team since James and the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Toronto Raptors in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
The Nuggets have come back from down double-digits in all three of their wins against the Lakers this postseason, becoming the first team to accomplish that in the NBA playoffs.
James had this to say about how tough the Nuggets are to play against.
“This team is definitely well-equipped, well-prepared, well-coached. They do not have a weakness offensively. Every guy that they put on the floor, especially they starting lineup, they’ve been one of the best starting fives in our league the last few years.”
James has been visibly upset throughout the series with the officiating, his teammates and himself. At the end of the day, he gives the credit where it’s due. The Nuggets have been unstoppable, especially against this Lakers’ squad.
James Gives the Nuggets Their Credit
‘One of the better teams that I’ve played in my career’
The Nuggets have beaten the Lakers 11 straight games and are now 19-4 since the beginning of last year’s playoffs. They are on a historically-dominant run. Despite how much they have struggled in the first halves of this series, their comebacks have felt inevitable.
When James was asked where the Nuggets rank among the best teams he has faced, he had this to say.
“It’s definitely one of the better teams that I’ve played in my career, but to rank it right now would be too hard. I’ve played against a lot of great teams. This is a great team, and I’ve played against a lot.”
Part of what makes the Nuggets so versatile is how well their role players align with their superstar in Nikola Jokić, and how well they compliment his skill set. They are especially dangerous in times when it matters. They went into each halftime with deficits and erased them quickly in the second half of every game.
It has been a tale of two halves for the Nuggets so far as they are shooting remarkably better from the field in the second half of games. The scariest part is they are only shooting 26.9 percent from three so far, the worst of any team, after shooting 37.5 percent last postseason.
For the Lakers, it’s been a lot of the opposite situation. They have been struggling mightily in the second half of the games after getting off to strong starts, much of that being attributed to the Nuggets locking down on defense.
It’s almost as if the Nuggets go into halftime and flip a switch that makes them unstoppable. James and the Lakers will look to not get swept on their home court in back-to-back years in game four on Saturday. James is still optimistic as he and the Lakers hope to take it one game at a time.
