LeBron James' Strong Statement After Lakers vs. Nuggets Game 1

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The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1, and while they played well in the first half, the Lakers were seriously overmatched in the second half. Speaking with reporters after the game, Lakers star LeBron James got honest about what his team needs to do in order to not only win this series, but be the championship team they aspire to be.

"I've never played on a championship team that didn't pay attention to detail," James said. "There's no if, ands, or buts about it. You have to."

Knowing what it takes to win it all, James has four NBA championships, and is in pursuit of another one this year. The Lakers' path to a title is incredibly difficult, and begins with the defending champion Nuggets, but this is a group that has their sights set on that goal.

Any team with LeBron James is expected to compete for a title. The Lakers last won it all in 2020, and they have had varying levels of postseason success since then, but have not reached the Finals again since that season. A path back to the Finals feels unlikely for this Lakers team, but if they are able to pay attention to detail in the way James is speaking about, they will give themselves the best chance possible.

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