Speaking to reporters following the Los Angeles Lakers' 134-93 loss to the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center on Wednesday, LeBron James expressed confidence in the team's ability to bounce back from the blowout, urging the club to stay "even-keeled."
But even James, who's seen it all in his 22 years in the NBA, had to admit that the 41-point loss stung, especially on the heels of a 29-point defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
"It sucks," James said. "For sure. To get your ass whooped like that twice in a row."
Los Angeles shot just 42 percent from the field while allowing the Heat to shoot a sublime 57.8 percent, and yielding 24 made three-pointers to Miami, including seven straight triples to guard Tyler Herro in the third quarter. Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters after the game that he was "embarrassed" by the performance, even calling it "odd." Redick, while ladling out his own portion of the blame for the team's struggles, called upon the players to also take accountability.
And James did exactly that.
"I agree with everything JJ said," James said. "Whatever he said, I agree 100 percent, 1,000 percent."
When pushed to elaborate on anything specific he agreed with, James pushed back before placing the onus of the blame on himself and the rest of the Lakers players.
"It's not on the coaches," James said. "It's definitely on us, for sure."
So, where do the Lakers (12-10), 4-6 in their last 10 games, go from here?
"You always stay even-keeled ... Stay even-keeled," James said. "I've been in this game way too long. Never get too high, never get too low. Because I know how fast this s--t turns."
James and the Lakers travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks (12-11) on Friday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Bluntly Summed Up Lakers' Blowout Loss to Heat.
