Coming off the momentum of defeating the LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers seemed poised to face up against any competition around the league. That, unfortunately, wasn't the case as the Lakers lost to the Brooklyn Nets in a game that came down to the very last basket. As the leader of the team, LeBron shoulders the blame but passed on the last shot to give Anthony Davis a wide-open look at the basket. It was the right move, but did this shed more light on the dependability of Anthony Davis?
Colin Cowherd reacts to this loss by the Lakers, believing the numbers don't lie when it comes to how reliable Anthony Davis is in the 4th quarter.
- Anthony Davis Quarters 1-3: 22.3 PPG
- Anthony Davis in the 4th: 4.2 PPG, 58th in the NBA
"When LeBron is on the floor for the Lakers, they are the number one seed in the West. When LeBron is off the floor, and it's just Anthony Davis, the Lakers are -3.3. They're a losing basketball team. This is what I always thought about Anthony Davis. He's an A+ defender, NBA All-Star, but not a 'number 1.'"
Colin Cowherd refers to a reliable source saying that the Clippers had reservations about Anthony Davis. They didn't know if he was tough enough to play through injury or if he was trustable late in games. It was one of the major reasons why Kawhi Leonard was sought after much more than the talented Lakers big man.