NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: LAKERS vs WARRIORS

May 10, 2023

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers

Game 5: Postgame

Warriors 121, Lakers 106

Q. I wanted to ask you about AD first, just your level of concern with him after he took that shot?

LEBRON JAMES: I didn't see the shot. I just seen the aftermath. But the medical team said he's doing better. That's what matters the most.

Q. How much a part of that do you figure now as you get back for Game 6, a situation you've been in before, maybe a little bit of uncertainty about AD, but how do you approach this as a leader going back on the plane?

LEBRON JAMES: That we have another opportunity. Obviously they played exceptionally well here tonight, and we had some good moments, but not as close to 48 minutes as we needed to be, but we've got another opportunity on Friday, and we look forward to the matchup again.

Q. It was a tie game with about four minutes to go in the second quarter and then we know this is a team that can go on runs, but when you think back to the late second quarter, early third that you felt like on your team's end that contributed to that run?

LEBRON JAMES: I mean, we kind of made a run, we had an opportunity to -- I missed an easy jump hook in the lane to cut the lead to three. AD, right after I missed the jump hook, he had an opportunity to have a tip dunk, missed it. We blew a coverage, Klay hit a three on that right wing, put them up eight, and then we came back down, missed again, and then Steph hit the big one at the end of the quarter.

We know they're a team of runs, and you've got to be able to match that, and they just kept it going in the third, obviously.

Q. The conversation the last 48 hours has been, from the Warriors standpoint, gamesmanship from your team and flopping. Do you feel like that affected anything in terms of the way the game was dealt with tonight on the court?

LEBRON JAMES: I just know that our coaching staff and us players, we don't work on flopping. That's not even a part of our game. Our game is to attack, attack the paint. We don't mind physical contact. We actually like the contact. We don't shy away from it.

We're just not a team that goes out there looking for flopping opportunities. That's just not us. It's actually never been any team that I've played on in my 20 years where we've been a flopping team. It is what it is. They have their right to say what they want to say, but the game is always won between the four lines, and we've got to be better on Friday for sure.

Q. Earlier today you were named to the all-NBA third team. I think this is 19 straight years for you. Knowing what you've done and dealt with physically and stuff like that, how does this one hit differently in year 20?

LEBRON JAMES: I guess I don't take those moments for granted. When you get an opportunity to be recognized as one of the best players still in the league and have one of the best seasons and make all-NBA team, I don't take anything that I've been able to accomplish for granted and I'm always appreciative for the -- to be a part of any selection in this league. There's so many great players, so many great teams, and a lot of guys this year had some really good seasons, great seasons. To be a part of that class of 15 guys, when I seen the list, is still pretty cool, even at my age and where I'm at right now, year 20. Just don't take it for granted.

Obviously I've got bigger fish to fry, but those small moments, those small wins right there is all part of the journey, all part of the legacy as far as what I do on the floor in this league, so that's pretty cool.

Q. In your career, you've played in plenty of Game 6s where you have a chance to clinch. You also just had that last series. Is there something you think this team this year needs to focus on Friday in comparison to the past?

LEBRON JAMES: I mean, every moment is its own challenge and is its own game and is its own opportunity to see what you're made of, and we can't base last series on to this series. This series is different. The opponent is different. The challenges is different.

Friday is another opportunity for us to see where we are, to see what we're made of, and to go out there with I guess the grit and the fight that we've had since we came together after the All-Star break, very resilient team, and we respond well to adversity, and we look forward to that, to getting an opportunity to play again on Friday.

Q. You guys are 6-0 between the play-in, first round through the Warriors series at Crypto.com this postseason. I wanted to know if you have any message for the Laker fans planning to come to the game on Friday?

LEBRON JAMES: Well, we didn't handle our business tonight, so I look forward to seeing our fans for another game in the second round. You know, those six games are out the window. It's over and done with. Our job is to try to be 1-0 on Friday. I look forward to that opportunity.

Q. Last Game 6 you guys played, you said you guys approached it like Game 7 mentality, didn't want to go back to Memphis for Game 7. I assume the same approach going into this one?

LEBRON JAMES: Yeah, it's the same. It's the same.