Lakers star LeBron James opened up on Thursday’s showdown with the Boston Celtics, insisting Los Angeles must play ‘perfect basketball’ to stand a chance against contenders.
The Lakers and Celtics will renew one of the league’s most famous rivalries when they meet in California this week, having faced off a record 12 times in the NBA Finals with a combined 35 championships.
Boston have won each of their last two outings at the Crypto.com Arena and the reigning champions will be heavily favored by the best online sportsbooks & betting sites in the US to come out on top once again.
Speaking after LA’s blowout win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, James admitted the Lakers are ‘still learning’ and can’t miss a beat if they want to keep up with contending teams like the Celtics.
“Be physical defensively, share the ball offensively. Communicate. I don’t think it’s even about Boston, Boston knows who they are. We are still learning and trying to get better at what we want to do. We’ll have a game plan in place for such a great team, but they’re in a different place than we are.
“No, that’s not how our team is constructed. We don’t have room for error — for much error… We don’t have a choice. I mean that’s the way our team is constructed. We have to play close to perfect basketball. We know the game is never perfect, it’s never going to be a 48-minute perfect basketball game.”
LeBron James on the Lakers’ upcoming game against the Celtics: “Boston knows who they are. We are still learning and trying to get better with what we want to do” pic.twitter.com/usim3epcIG
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 22, 2025
Boston are emerging from arguably their worst stretch of basketball in two years, but they still hold the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and they’re the only team in the NBA with a top five offensive and defensive rating.
As for the Lakers, a 23-18 start to the season is by no means horrendous work and JJ Redick’s side are in contention for a guaranteed spot in the postseason. Los Angeles have picked up three wins from their last four after a run of three straight defeats.
