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- Tristan Thompson says he surprised LeBron James during Lakers workout: ‘I haven’t seen this since Cleveland’
- Draymond Green says the Lakers are a ‘serious threat’ in the Western Conference
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- Kendrick Perkins rips ‘borderline senior citizen’ Chris Paul for letting Austin Reaves drop 25 points on him
- Anthony Davis issues confident statement on Lakers playoff hopes: ‘You put anybody against us, I like our chances’
- Anthony Davis declares that he and LeBron James have ‘one of the best relationships’ among duos in the NBA
- Former teammate of Kobe and LeBron says Kobe was ‘like Mike’ while LeBron was more ‘happy-go-lucky’
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Video: C.J. McCollum’s Hilarious Response When Asked About Upcoming Playoff Matchup With Lakers
- Updated: August 15, 2020
Even though Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum has a painful back injury, he offered an amusing response as his team prepares to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs.
“I broke my back. Spinal!” 😂
CJ really called back the Mike Tyson interview after the game pic.twitter.com/p4HaCHNtsH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 15, 2020
McCollum’s high-pitched imitation of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was inspired by a 2003 post-fight comment from the boxer that indicated he was also suffering from a back injury.
The Trail Blazers-Lakers matchup was set up when McCollum delivered a clutch fourth-quarter performance on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies to secure the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference.
Finishing with 29 points on the afternoon, McCollum scored 14 of those in the final period to help the Trail Blazers win, 126-122. At the start of that final period, Portland was facing elimination, trailing 94-89.
McCollum’s performance was especially inspiring, considering he’s been dealing with that back injury that was reportedly suffered on July 31, during the Trail Blazers’ first game of their resumed season.
The injury was a fracture in his lower back, an issue that might have otherwise ended the season for other players.
How well the Trail Blazers do against the Lakers in the postseason is unknown, but it’s clear that McCollum’s sense of humor is still fully intact.