LOS ANGELES — LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook failed their first real test together, a 121-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors on opening night, but they found some common ground.
The defeat meant that all three of them lost in their Lakers debut: James against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2018; Davis against the LA Clippers in 2019; and Westbrook against the Warriors on Tuesday.
While James (34 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) and Davis (33 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) outperformed Westbrook, who had a team-worst plus-minus of minus-23 in 35 minutes, finishing with eight points on 4-for-13 shooting and four turnovers, their bigger impact might have come in the postgame locker room, lifting up their new teammate.
“I told Russ to go home and watch a comedy,” James said. “Do something that can put a smile on his face. He’s so hard on himself. I told him, ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s one game.'”
It was similar to a pep talk James gave to Davis when their first game together in L.A. also didn’t go their way.
“My first time, I sat next to LB, he looked at me, and he said, ‘You’re fine, this is Game 1,'” Davis recalled. “He’s laughing. He’s joking on the phone. And I’m like, ‘Why am I upset then?’ And I kind of just went with the flow. And it’s the same thing with Russ. And I told him the same thing. ‘I’m the same way you were.’ We said some things to him, and he smiled and things like that, so I expect him to be better in the game Friday.”
If Westbrook broke out a grin in the locker room, it was gone by the time he reached the media room for his postgame interviews.
“We talked,” was all Westbrook would say about the conversation with Davis and James.
His entire media session lasted less than three minutes as he kept his answers as brief as possible.
James, who has often said that experience is the greatest teacher there is, was hopeful that Westbrook would be able to glean some perspective from the ordeal.
“I just don’t want him to be so…
Source : espn
