One of the running themes for the Los Angeles Lakers in their current playoff series is that a strong performance from Anthony Davis oftentimes leads to a victory.
In the team’s two wins against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals, the big man has averaged 27.5 points, 18.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. The lone loss in Game 2 saw Davis have a quiet 11 points and seven boards.
Davis’ substandard performance in that contest resulted in a lot of folks blasting him, especially since the Lakers lost in blowout fashion. However, Davis said after L.A.’s Game 3 victory that he hasn’t really been listening to the criticisms making the rounds on social media for the past months.
“Hell nah, I’m not on social media, and it’s been that way for about four months,” Davis told Bleacher Report. “I don’t know what anybody is saying. Most times it’s just clickbait to draw ratings. I don’t give that s–t any attention.”
It’s good news for the Lakers organization and its fans that the eight-time All-Star is unaffected by the negative things said about him.
Some people have criticized Davis for constantly missing games with different injuries and ailments throughout his career. While it’s true that Davis has missed a significant number of games in the past seasons, it’s not entirely his fault that his body is susceptible to injuries.
Even so, it appears that the 30-year-old has learned to listen to only the right people, including his teammates, coaching staff and support system.
“I don’t know what was said, and I don’t care,” Davis added. “I got 15 motherf—— in this locker room and a coaching staff that I listen to. Outside of them, it’s my strong support system. They’re the only voices I let in.”
Davis also took the opportunity to defend his Game 2 performance, pointing out the similarities with his Game 3 shots.
“It’s not like I say, ‘Well, you know what, I’m going to take the night off. I’m not going to go hard tonight. I’m not going to make shots.’ It’s not like that,” Davis further said. “People always want to tell you what to do, but I shot 10 times in Game 2 and I shot 11 times tonight [Davis took 10 field goals]. I got the same looks. Nothing was different aside from me making shots.”
On Thursday, the former No. 1 pick put up 11 shots from the field, making just five of them for a respectable 45.5 percent shooting clip. Two days after, he was 7-for-10 from the field.
A stark difference from the two games was the free-throw attempts, as Davis went to the line 11 more times on Saturday than in the previous match. It was his aggressiveness, particularly inside the paint, that helped the Lakers set the tone late in the first half and eventually run away with a 30-point victory in Game 3.
Hopefully, the four-time All-NBA selection can continue his strong showings on both ends of the court to give Los Angeles a good chance of beating the Warriors in the series.
Game 4 of the series will take place on Monday night in Los Angeles, with the series set to shift back to San Francisco for Game 5.
