NEWYORK — LeBron James Three team security officers escorted him from court on Sunday in Detroit as he was sent off the field for the second time in his 19-year career.
Not long after, he had another guest from the team. Los Angeles Lakers front Carmelo Anthony came off the bench to check on James before returning to his teammates to deliver a message: If there’s any point for the Lakers to start looking like the team they all have believe they are destined to be, there is no better time than now.
“I just feel that we all need to come together, we need to believe in the bigger picture,” Anthony said on a Monday videoconference call. “And I thought at the time, the way I was able to get people’s attention in that moment, we were looking for something like that. And last night, it happened to me. Tomorrow, it could be someone else. But at that time last night, it was time to say something like just get the wheelchair rolling. We needed that.”
After the team assembled one of the best rosters in league history this past summer, it’s been a rocky road for the Lakers with nearly a quarter of the season in the books. They went undefeated in pre-season, which saw a number of rotation players suffer injuries, endured a team-mate confrontation in just the second game of the season and then James-Isaiah Stewart incident in the star’s second game back after a long absence due to abdominal strain.
“It was unfortunate that we had to go through that situation, but we needed something like that to kick us off,” explains Anthony. “We weren’t tested like that all season, and it was a big, big test that we passed last night.”
LA trailed the Pistons, a team that entered the day seven games under .500, into 12 games at the time of elimination and to 15 to start the fourth half before the Lakers returned with a 37-17 advantage in the final bracket. win the championship. Anthony’s message seemed to resonate.
“He’s great,” a source on the team who was on the conversation told ESPN. “Polite. Calm. Clear. Holds everyone together. The ultimate vet.”
He also helped on the field, scoring 18 goals in a 5-to-8 shootout and adding two rebounds and two saves. The Lakers beat the Pistons by 13 points in the 30 minutes he played.
“Melo has been fantastic for us,” coach Frank Vogel said Sunday after the game. “I can’t say that strong enough. He’s really a champion for all the reasons that we’re trying to accomplish. Committed to defending and buying in, trying to play for each other. … He’s the one who spoke up, along with others, to say we can’t let this be a loss. Like, we have to rally around this. So credit goes to he. “
It’s a reminder that Anthony, 37, who joined the Lakers on a veteran’s minimum contract, still has a certain charm to it, even if he’s not the superstar he once was. to be.
“Why am I speaking out? It’s just, I am who I am,” Anthony said. “It’s part of what I do, who I am. … I’m a guy, I don’t talk much, but when it comes time for me to speak up, it’ll happen, it’s natural. It’s natural. It’s not easy to understand.” Not something that was planned in advance. It is at that moment that gathers people together. We understand and we see what’s going on. And I said this [Sunday] night, the game could have been, it could have been worse. “
The Lakers are hoping the worst is over when it comes to change. Vogel said Monday afternoon that the NBA’s investigation into the incident is still open and that any other disciplinary action stemming from the fugitive has yet to be determined.
“They do the interviews, they talk to all the stakeholders and then they make their decisions,” Vogel said. “They’re still part of that process.”
When asked how the Lakers will handle the possibility of missing James for their game on Tuesday against New York Knicks If he is suspended, Anthony doesn’t want to consider leaving his teammates on the field for LA’s only trip of the season to Madison Square Garden.
“Well, we’re not going to put that energy out there,” he replied. “So we’re not even going to put that energy there.”
