Lakers: LeBron James Drops Bold Championship Take Amid Playoff Climb

(Photo : Bob Levey/Getty Images)
LeBron James appreciates the LA Lakers' late season surge as they fight for a play-in spot.

The Los Angeles Lakers are toiling to qualify for the Play-in round in the NBA Western Conference. In a convincing victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday (134-109), LeBron and his teammates made progress toward achieving their goal.

A Top 6 finish and a sure postseason position are still possible for the Gold and Purple at this stage. LeBron James' newly discovered synergy with Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell, among others, has a lot to do with the LA Lakers' current upswing, according to Clutch Points.

In a post-game interview, LeBron James made it quite clear that they are still focused on winning the championship because they still have lots of work.

"We just want to put ourselves in a position to be able to compete for a championship," LeBron James said, acknowledging that their team "don't have as much chemistry as a lot of other teams who are trying to compete for a title or have hopes to win a championship." However, LeBron James noted that he appreciated what the Lakers showed off in their recent games.

“We want to be on the floor together and make magic…He’s definitely making magic right now for sure.” @KingJames praises AD for his play and hopes they continue this going further. pic.twitter.com/GgWqQOiNIT
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 3, 2023

LeBron James Hits Another Career Milestone

The Los Angeles Lakers are ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans (40-38), holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The top six teams go immediately to the NBA Playoffs, while teams seven through ten compete in a play-in round.

After trading Russell Westbrook for D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and Malik Beasley in February, the Lakers had won 10 of their previous 14 games. They were in postseason contention, according to Stadium Astro.

Moreover, LeBron James accomplished another milestone in his career. He now has 107 career triple-doubles, tied for fourth all-time with Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, who now coaches the Dallas Mavericks, per LeBronWire.

LeBron James finished the game against the Rockets with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the year.