LeBron James: Only one group of people doubted Kevin Durant coming back full strength
Source: Twitter @NotoriousOHM
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
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Quick @LockedOnLakers reaction video after the 133-110 loss to the Spurs. 66 points from LeBron/Westbrook, but also 30 for Keita Bates-Diop (seriously… 30), indicative of how badly everything went for the Lakers. @LockedOnNBAPods @LockedOnNetwork pic.twitter.com/IQ61HGvwZE – 2:09 AM
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LeBron has been playing out of his mind. Don’t waste his remaining years. – 2:00 AM
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LeBron James on the season: “This is the unknown. I say, ‘Every year has its own challenge.’ This is another year where you can literally have one guy one night and the next night you won’t.” – 1:42 AM
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LeBron James believes “there was never any doubt” Kevin Durant would come back from his Achilles surgery at “full strength” following the devastating injury in the NBA Finals. – 1:35 AM
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LeBron James on Kevin Durant’s comeback from Achilles injury when asked by @Dave McMenamin: “There was never any doubt from myself or anybody in this league…I heard there was only like really 1 group of people that had any doubt on him coming back full strength. Not going to name them.” – 1:34 AM
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Yo that Bron shade thooooo💀 – 1:34 AM
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When a reporter pointed out that LeBron has suffered a lot of injuries, but never a torn Achilles while setting up a question about KD, LeBron literally interrupted him because he wanted to knock on wood. He settled for knocking on the back of a reporter’s computer. – 1:32 AM
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LeBron mentioned the ones against the Lakers as among his favorite Christmas games. Can’t blame him. In 2009, his Cavs beat the Lakers so badly, fans threw their foam fingers on the court. AK – 1:28 AM
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LeBron James on Kevin Durant overcoming an Achilles injury: “There was never any doubt from myself or anybody in this league.” – 1:28 AM
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LeBron James on trying to survive with so many players going into protocols: “I literally been saying this is survival of the fittest.” – 1:26 AM
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LeBron James on what it’ll take for the Lakers to be a good defensive team: “All of our defensive guys are in health and safety protocols.” – 1:26 AM
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LeBron: “We have no chemistry with any lineup” due to the fact they haven’t logged enough minutes together. – 1:25 AM
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LeBron James on navigating the unknown and chaos of this season with COVID: “It’s literally a crap shoot every time you take a test (to see who will be out in health and safety protocols)… we have no chemistry with any lineup… it’s the truth.” – 1:24 AM
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LeBron, venting about the chaos of guys going in and out of protocols: “It’s literally a crapshoot every single time you take a test at this point.” – 1:23 AM
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LeBron thinks he played in the best Christmas Day game ever when Warriors faced his Cavs. – 1:23 AM
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Asked what the Lakers need besides a full roster to play the defense they want, LeBron James says: “We don’t need a full roster. We just need some of our guys back.” – 1:23 AM
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LeBron James on what the Lakers need to improve their defense: “All of our defensive guys are in health and safety protocols… we got a couple more (but majority is out).” – 1:22 AM
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66 Points from LeBron and Russ.
44 Points from every other Laker combined. – 1:20 AM
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LeBron James and Russell Westbrook are the first Lakers duo with 30-point games at 33 years of age or older since Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain did it on Feb. 22, 1972 per @ESPNStatsInfo. Rest of the Lakers scored 44 points combined tonight. – 1:15 AM
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LeBron cooked tonight and they still lost by 30? – 1:12 AM
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The Lakers say goodbye to Staples Center with a 138-110 loss to the Spurs. LeBron 36p on 15-of-26 9r 6a 2b; Russ 30p on 12-of-20 7r 4a 5tos; THT 13p on 5-of-13. LAL (16-17) has BKN (21-9) up next at Crypto.com Arena on Christmas. Bates-Diop 30p on 11-of-11 for SAS – 1:08 AM
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LeBron last 4 games:
30 PPG
10 RPG
5 APG
56 FG%
The Lakers are 0-4 in that span. pic.twitter.com/nGTydDsv2w – 1:03 AM
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In a video with Uninterrupted, Lonzo Ball revealed the best advice ever given to him but former teammate LeBron James. lonzowire.usatoday.com/2021/06/11/lon… – 1:00 AM
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LeBron and Westbrook are 26-45, and the Lakers are down by 22. That is… disquieting. BK – 12:54 AM
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Fizdale called for a tech after a foul against LeBron was called on the floor instead of on the shot. That kinda night. – 12:44 AM
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LeBron and Russ have combined for 59 points in three quarters and the Lakers are still down 105-92 to the Spurs. – 12:35 AM
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The Staples Center crowd isn’t letting this go: They chant, “LET’S GO LA-KERS!” and Westbrook obliges by charging in for a layup. Pop calls timeout, Lakers still trailing by 11. First real sign of life tonight outside of LeBron scoring in a vacuum. – 12:14 AM
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Lakers not named LeBron are 2-12 on 3s tonight, after going 0 for the 2nd half against Phoenix on Tuesday. – 12:08 AM
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LeBron visibly frustrated after Dwight Howard once again failed to defend at the rim without fouling – 12:04 AM
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I know LeBron doesn’t believe in load management but what about mental health breaks – 12:03 AM
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Similar to how LeBron spends a $1M annually maintaining his body, Wayne Ellington must spend $1M maintaining his beard. It is always the most perfectly manicured facial hair I’ve ever seen. AK – 12:03 AM
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Spurs lead 66-55 at half. Lakers have one starter in double figures (LeBron, 23). Spurs have three bench players in double figures — Landale (11), Walker (10), and KBD (10). – 11:41 PM
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LeBron got up off the bench and appeared to see if Fizdale was fine with him closing the first half. Fizdale gave the nod of approval – 11:37 PM
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LeBron is just frustrated at this point. – 11:34 PM
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LeBron is literally keeping the Lakers in the game. He has half their points (20) and there is still 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. – 11:26 PM
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20 point first half for LeBron James:
12 paint points
6 points from three
2 points from mid-range
Spurs by 10 – 11:26 PM
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The Spurs have made 8 threes. The Lakers have made one, and of course, it was by LeBron. – 11:22 PM
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Keita Bates-Diop just picked off a LeBron James pass and scrambled coast-to-coast for a layup, if you want to know how this game is going for both teams. – 11:21 PM
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1Q: Spurs by 9 (largest lead on final possession)
McDermott 8 pts | LeBron 9 pts
Lonnie 7 pts
Spurs are winning the 3PT line by 12 points, that’s the major difference – 11:11 PM
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McDermott and LeBron have a combined 15 of the 25 points scored so far in this game.
Spurs by 3, with early leads in the paint and 3PT line – 10:51 PM
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This is trending into a game where the Lakers play zero defense and LeBron has to do everything on his own offensively. Kind of been a theme. – 10:47 PM
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Another good start for LeBron, 3 for 3 with some tricky makes. – 10:47 PM
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And we are live, doing a Q&A on LeBron, Nike, and Social Schlock advertising callin.com/room/lebrons-s… – 10:02 PM
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Why Lebron Wanted Russ Westbrook over Buddy Hield shows.acast.com/bucher-and-fri… via @acast – 9:30 PM
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🐐 youtube.com/watch?v=mE7HuH… – 8:35 PM
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I do not see the Kevin Durant comparisons with Brandon Ingram. I DO see the Tracy McGrady comparisons. – 8:04 PM
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KD record vs. LeBron
OKC/CLE: 0-5
OKC/MIA: 4-9
OKC/CLE: 0-3
GSW/CLE: 11-3
BRK/LAL 0-0***
***Entering Christmas 🤞 – 5:33 PM
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Top 12 High School Players I’ve Ever Seen:
1. Lonzo Ball
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Grant Hill
4. LeBron James
5. Kenny Anderson
6. Damon Bailey
7. Alonzo Mourning
8. Chris Jackson
9. Shaquille O’Neal
10. Litterial Green
11. Chris Webber
12. Kevin Durant – 5:08 PM
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Thursday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast! We discuss the relationship between LeBron and Frank Vogel, then say goodbye to Staples Center. #FirstListen @LockedOnNetwork @LockedOnNBAPods
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leb… – 3:45 PM
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Kevin Durant and James Harden’s minutes had become a concern through the first third of the season. But there’s a silver lining to their time in the health and safety protocols:
“Definitely getting them that rest and recuperation, regeneration.” #Nets
nydailynews.com/sports/basketb… – 3:15 PM
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Twenty four players have recorded at least 50 post-ups this season, per NBA.com Here’s how they rank by points per possession.
1. Nikola Jokic – 1.09 PPP
2. Kevin Durant – 1.08 PPP
3. Jaren Jackson – 1.07 PPP
4. Aaron Gordon – 1.02 PPP
5. Joel Embiid – 1.01 PPP – 2:11 PM
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Is it fair for LeBron to blame the Lakers slow start on injuries? Should Kupp get MVP votes? KD’s Twitter fingers strike again & more! Guests: @EricDickerson @FredNBCLA @EddieHouse_50
Catch us live weeknights 7-10p ET on @FoxSportsRadio & @iHeartRadio podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… – 2:00 PM
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NBA Christmas Day storylines: LeBron James poised to break Kobe Bryant’s record; top two teams meet again
By: @therealmikekb
cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-c… – 1:29 PM
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Durant.
LeBron.
The greatest individual rivalry in NBA history?
What seems sacrilegious on the surface isn’t so crazy once you actually dive into the details.
The @sportingnews G.O.A.T. series debuts with a Christmas showdown that we all want to see.
youtu.be/MDSnOCS4e4M – 1:26 PM
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Discussing this LeBron/Nike article on Callin today at 7:00 PM. houseofstrauss.substack.com/p/why-isnt-leb… Join us! callin.com/?link=NpkqViMm… – 1:18 PM
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If Kevin Durant tests out of protocols and plays on Saturday, it would be the first head-to-head matchup vs. LeBron James since… Christmas 2018. pic.twitter.com/wuaNVcCspl – 1:14 PM
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📅 On this day in 2007, the @Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant scored 39 points in a win over the Knicks, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points (29 years, 122 days).
Bryant’s mark has since been surpassed by LeBron James (28-107) and Kevin Durant (29-103). pic.twitter.com/3o533vJPll – 12:01 PM
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New post on a failed ad campaign and more: Why isn’t LeBron’s Act Working? houseofstrauss.substack.com/p/why-isnt-leb… – 11:56 AM
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The Nets have enough players to fly to Los Angeles and play their Christmas showdown against the Lakers, though Kevin Durant might not be among them.
James Harden is out of health and safety protocols but Durant remains in.
apnews.com/article/corona… – 11:54 AM
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Kind of went under the radar this week that Kevin Durant spurred a social media pile-on by insulting a 13-year-old over a basketball move he didn’t like. (And at least one other NBA player, Isaiah Thomas, joined in.) It was really messed up. https://t.co/FptujUNX0T pic.twitter.com/BlMbPzdQXn – 11:53 AM
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James Harden, Paul Millsap, Jevon Carter clear protocols but 3 more Nets enter protocols. Nets expect to have enough to play on Christmas but Steve Nash isn’t expecting any other Nets in protocol – which includes Kevin Durant – to be cleared for Christmas espn.com/nba/story/_/id… – 11:43 AM
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Rich Paul says LeBron James, amid Kendrick Perkins-inspired trade speculation, not leaving Lakers nba.nbcsports.com/2021/12/23/ric… – 11:40 AM
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RPR MVP Predictor, determined by Rolling Player Ratings and team success:
1. Nikola Jokic: 14.93
2. Stephen Curry: 14.46
3. Kevin Durant: 14.21
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 13.93
5. Trae Young: 13.29
6. Donovan Mitchell: 12.54
7. Jarrett Allen: 12.5
8. DeMar DeRozan: 12.16 pic.twitter.com/8JoK4npEV1 – 11:30 AM
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Now on @ForbesSports
Brooklyn Nets Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Remain In Covid Protocols Ahead Of Christmas Game With Lakers
forbes.com/sites/adamzago… – 10:44 AM
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Steve Nash says the Nets have enough to fly tomorrow and play Saturday. But not predicting anyone else coming out of protocols by then, which could mean they play without Kevin Durant. – 10:17 AM
More on this storyline
Mark Medina: Brooklyn Nets rule out Kevin Durant for tomorrow’s game vs the Orlando Magic because of right ankle soreness -via Twitter @MarkG_Medina / December 17, 2021 Alex Schiffer: Nets say Kevin Durant is available for tonight’s game. They need him. They’re down to eight players. -via Twitter @Alex__Schiffer / December 14, 2021 Kristian Winfield: Kevin Durant is a game-time decision tonight against the Raptors and will be a re-assessed in a few minutes to determine his availability. Durant is questionable with ankle soreness. #Nets -via Twitter @Krisplashed / December 14, 2021