Doug Gottlieb: “LeBron James has a lot of tread worn off on those tires… He’s not the same guy at 34-years-old and can’t get his body to do what it used to be able to do. There’s some Tom Brady to it. However, Brady can fake it because he doesn’t have to play defense and doesn’t have to match up with the athleticism of others. When you’re in the NBA, you’re out there on an island… You’re not avoiding LeBron at the defensive end anymore and you’re not all that scared of him at the offensive end either. If you have the number of bodies that you can throw on him, he won’t get a step on you, he’ll just shoot a jump shot. And there’s lots of nights like last night where he’s not making them… He doesn’t look Jason Kidd -- end of his career washed up -- but if you’re operating under the assumption that LeBron is still the best basketball player on earth, you obviously did not watch last night’s game." (Full Audio at Bottom of Page)
Listen to Doug Gottlieb discuss last night’s Clippers versus Lakers game that presented one of the most highly anticipated matchups in the history of NBA Christmas games.
The Clippers won a telling nail biter versus the Lakers with both teams at absolute full strength for one of the rare times this season, as they clearly planted their flag as the best team not only in Los Angeles, but in the Western Conference, and possibly the entire NBA.
Gottlieb thought LeBron’s 9 for 24 game, which included the game-deciding blunder in the dying seconds was a pretty clear indicator of where LeBron’s game is at the age of 34. Yes, LeBron is still an All-Star and the Lakers’ most valuable player, but Gottlieb believes the LeBron stans have zero ground to stand on anymore when it comes to them still claiming that LBJ is the ‘Best Player in the World’, considering we just saw a barely 6 foot Patrick Beverley stuff LeBron to win a basketball game.
Check out the audio below as Gottlieb explains why opposing defenses no longer fear LeBron and why there’s a clear ingredient to containing him now.