Entering Game 2 of the Los Angeles Lakers playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Lakers coach Frank Vogel is prepared for LeBron James to make his presence felt in the contest.
LeBron had 15 FGA’s, 5 FTA’s and 7 assists in Game 1, below his regular season averags of 19.4 FGA’s, 5.7 FTA’s and 10.2 assists. Frank Vogel, pregame, said this about LeBron for Game 2: “We expect him to be really assertive.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 6, 2020
James was held to 20 points and seven rebounds in Friday night’s loss to the Rockets and made just seven of those 15 field-goal attempts.
That 46.7 percent shooting percentage was a steep drop from the final three games of the Portland series, when he connected on 35-of-49 from the field for a 71.4 shooting percentage.
The extensive playoff experience that James brings to this game also figures to serve as an asset to the Lakers, who can’t afford to fall behind 0-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Those 245 games of postseason experience, coupled with a ferocious drive to excel, should make James’ performance in Game 2 something to watch.
James’ assertiveness was on display during the Game 1 loss, when he showed visible anger over the Lakers’ spacing issues on the court during a frustrating fourth quarter.
In addition to James’ intense focus on atoning for the Game 1 defeat, the Lakers as a team have already been in this position this season after dropping the opening playoff game against Portland.
