LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers did something they had yet to do so far in a postseason: win a Game 1 and they did so in dominant fashion in Friday’s opener of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers and their passionate fans might have the NBA’s decision to announce the 2019-2020 MVP award to thank.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers in scoring with 37 points but LeBron James set the pace, particularly in the first, making plays on both ends and rattling the rim to help the Lakers build a double-digit lead at halftime. After the game, James admitted that receiving only 16 1st place votes in the balloting against Giannis Antetokounmpo, had LeBron “pissed off.”
“It pissed me off,” LeBron James said of MVP voting. He was irritated that he received just 16 first-place votes.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) September 19, 2020
James set the tone for the Lakers, while Davis and the rest of the Lakers followed through. The Lakers had excellent performances from their stars and their veterans, in particular, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as they took their first 1-0 lead of the 2020 playoffs.
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