LeBron James Reacts To Lakers GM5 vs Grizzlies | April 26, 2023

LeBron, game six, Friday, back at home, Darvin said you almost have to treat it like a game seven in a sense. Obviously, you don't want to come back here. It might extend minutes. What are the most important things that you've learned over the course of this series about what you guys have to do to win that game on Friday? I mean, not turn the ball over, defense rebound, keep them on the transition. That's where they're very elite. And when we're in tune with those, you know, fast to the game, we're pretty good. How much, all the experience you've had in all the different home arenas, like how much do you get an actual boost when you're fatigued and when you don't have legs from a crowd in that kind of a setting? The crowd automatically gives you an extra boost, but we also have to be mentally locked in, understand the assignments, and execute those close to 48 minutes as possible. The way these first five games have gone, LeBron, it just seems like if AD has a strong offensive night, you might not, and vice versa, if you do, he hasn't. Is that coincidental? Has that been from the Grizzlies, their defensive schemes? Did you explain that at all? No, we just haven't put together two performances together, but we still have put three team efforts together to be up 3-2, and that's what's most important. It's not about what AD and myself are doing, it's about how we can win basketball games. And tonight I was ----, and I'll be better in game six. When they went on the 26-2 run, late third through early fourth, Austin thought some of it was missed shots, Fando thought some of it was just them playing with more desperation. Did you see anything that fueled that run for them? I mean, we got six or seven great looks from the three-point line. A couple of them from me, a couple of them from B's, a couple from Rui. Offensive rebounds after those, kickouts, and we just couldn't make at the time, and they was able to get downhill, and they was able to make as well. You know, hit a couple of threes after some offensive rebounds, whatever the case may be, but you give credit where credit is due. They played great tonight, and we go back home for game six on Friday. LeBron, what's the biggest key to getting better minutes for when it's like a mixture of starters and bench, and those lineups where you guys are integrating guys? I mean, I don't know. I got to take a look at the film, but we all just got to be better. You know, and it definitely starts with me. Tonight, I was not very good at all. I think defensively, I was pretty good, but offensively, I was, you know, not really good. So, you know, we all got to do a better job of helping one another. LeBron, obviously, the other night, tremendous effort. Just how spent were you physically coming into this one? I'm good. Any questions of how you're going to feel game six? I don't know. I mean, it's the two days from now, so I have no idea. But, you know, obviously, you know, me taking care of the body, trying to get as much sleep as I can, and, you know, seeing how fast the body can recover, you know, getting ready for Friday. So, we'll see. LJ, their backcourt, Desmond and Ja combined for 64 points. What's going to be the best way to try and contain them? Oh, I mean, they were great. You know, Desmond started off, I think, at 18 in the first, and kept going from there. And, you know, Ja was Ja tonight. So, you know, we got to do a better job of, you know, not letting them see as many cracks in as many scenes as possible. Especially in that fourth quarter, we kind of switched the defense early and went to a different, you know, defensive scheme that we haven't went to much this series. And Desmond definitely, you know, was able to, I think, get three or four buckets after that. You know, a couple of and ones, and a couple of drives, things of that nature. But we got to do a better job on those guys. But they're definitely really good two players. LeBron, what did you see from A.D. tonight in terms of a bounce back performance offensively? He was just aggressive, you know, all 35 minutes that he played. Looking for a shot, you know, rebounding at a high level. And, you know, it's great to see him be in a rhythm.