- Draymond Green explains why LeBron James is the greatest face of the NBA ever
- Austin Reaves only sees 2 similarities between him and Alex Caruso: ‘We’re guys that played on the Lakers, and we’re white’
- Report: Lakers have been in contact with Hornets as they continue to try to move Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley
- Shams Charania says Austin Reaves was snubbed from Rising Stars Challenge
- Chandler Parsons says G.O.A.T debate is ‘officially’ over once LeBron James breaks scoring record
- LeBron James on breaking John Stockton’s all-time assists record: ‘I’m good on that’
- Monty McCutchen says referee from Lakers-Celtics game was out of position and unable to see Jayson Tatum’s foul on LeBron James
- LeBron James offers meaningful update on his sore left foot
- NBA insider says he thinks Rob Pelinka still has a ‘move or 2 left in him’ to make Lakers competitive this season
- Rui Hachimura on why he picked No. 28 for Lakers: ‘No. 2 for Gianna and No. 8 for Kobe’
Phil Handy warns Jae Crowder that Lakers will ‘remember that s–t’ regarding his trash-talk in playoffs
- Updated: July 23, 2021
Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy took to Instagram recently to call out Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder for his trash-talk during the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
View this post on Instagram
Crowder is under contract with the Suns for multiple seasons, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a little rivalry sprout from this.
The Lakers were eliminated from the 2021 NBA Playoffs by the Suns in the first round. Phoenix’s series win was stunning to many. However, given the Lakers’ injury issues at the time, it perhaps should not have been.
During the first-round matchup, Crowder didn’t play particularly well. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting just 38.6 percent from the field. That didn’t stop him from enjoying himself throughout the series victory, however.
After eliminating the Lakers, the Suns advanced all the way to the NBA Finals before ultimately being defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. It was an extremely entertaining series despite the Lakers not being involved.
The future looks bright for both Los Angeles and Phoenix. NBA fans might have to get used to seeing the Lakers and Suns regularly in the Western Conference Finals.