Kendrick Perkins’ LeBron James GOAT Take Baffles Stephen A. Smith

LeBron James was hoping this season would be different playing third-fiddle to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

Kendrick Perkins’ LeBron James GOAT Take Baffles Stephen A. Smith

LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith, Kendrick Perkins (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • LeBron James leads the Lakers into the playoffs against the Houston Rockets amid injuries to key players.
  • Kendrick Perkins claims a victory for the 41-year-old James would solidify his GOAT status, despite Stephen A. Smith's disagreement.
  • Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are out indefinitely, complicating the Lakers' chances in the postseason.

With the playoffs approaching, LeBron James has to lead the Los Angeles Lakers on his own against longtime rival and friend Kevin Durant and his Houston Rockets.

The injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have complicated matters, with many believing that the ‘King’ could struggle shouldering the burden of scoring and playmaking.

With the odds stacked against the Lakers, the league’s all-time leading scorer and his teammates will have to find alternative ways to defeat a deep but inconsistent Rockets team.

Their previous three wins might give Lakers fans some solace. But the reality is that the playoffs are a different beast, and the Rockets could overpower them.

The Lakers are the biggest underdogs to start the playoffs. They have a 15% chance of winning this series… If a 41-year-old LeBron James in a head-to-head matchup with Kevin Durant comes out and pulls off this victory, … I don’t want to hear a damn thing anymore about the GOAT conversation.

Kendrick Perkins said

The former NBA champion was answering stand-in host Courtney Cronin‘s question about who, between LeBron James and Kevin Durant, has more on the line in this upcoming first-round series.

Perkins believes his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate has his legacy on the line, and that is why a win over a stacked Rockets team would cement his GOAT status.

Naturally, First Take‘s lead analyst Stephen A. Smith did not agree, and let out a ‘oh, please’ when Kendrick Perkins said that. The former has always stated that Michael Jordan is his GOAT, which is why this analogy left him baffled.

LeBron James excited to avoid the play-in

LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers may not have the ideal way to enter the playoffs, but the oldest player in the league is just glad he has avoided the play-in games.

LeBron James takes to golf before returning to Lakers' practice
LeBron James takes to golf before returning to Lakers’ practice (Image via King James/IG)

I am happy, because being a participant of the play-in for some years, that I get to sit back on my couch with my wine, knowing I don’t have to play into the weekend, and just sit there and enjoy.

LeBron James said

The 41-year-old has been a part of the play-in games for three out of the five times he has led his teammates in purple and gold into the postseason.

That is as exhausting as it comes, and for someone with that much mileage on his body, these extra days of rest before battling Kevin Durant and the Rockets are something that he is cherishing.

LeBron James and his teammates will need all the rest possible, as they are going into battle against a capable team. Even though they are inconsistent, the Rockets have a roster capable of countering anything the Lakers throw at them.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves’ chances of helping LeBron James diminish

After LeBron James finishes lounging on his couch and enjoying a sport he has taken a keen interest in late in his life, the superstar will have to return to the Lakers’ facilities to work on their game plans.

They need to find loopholes they can exploit, as they do not have the multi-faceted scoring attack they enjoyed up until a week ago. When reporters caught up with JJ Redick during practice, they wanted to know if Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves would arrive in time to save the team.

They’re out indefinitely. I’m not going to have an update for you this week. They’re out indefinitely.

JJ Redick replied

That is all the Lakers’ head coach had to say, as he, too, knows that the injuries his two leading scorers suffered will not recover in time. This means that Kendrick Perkins will be waiting to see if LeBron James does take the GOAT mantle, as he believes he will.

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