Lakers: LeBron James Compares Himself to a NFL Hall-of-Famer
LeBron James had not one, but two steals in the fourth quarter of the Lakers 106-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Both plays led to breakaway dunks for LeBron. More importantly, they helped resolidify the Lakers double-digit lead.
When asked about his interceptions, LeBron compared himself to one of the greatest free safeties in the history of professional football.
“Just kinda playing my inner Ed Reed at that point in time. Playing the passing lanes and seeing the direction of the ball. Trying to protect my teammates while we were in coverage and trying to do some of the things we were doing defensively. I was able to pick-six two of them in a row.”
For those that don’t do football, Ed Reed was the most feared safety in the NFL for a decade during his time with the Baltimore Ravens. The Hall-of-Famer led the league in interceptions three separate times and helped the Ravens win the the 2012 Super Bowl. He also had a knack for turning those interceptions into touchdowns or a “pick-six”.
LeBron is averaging the most steals per game (1.6) since his 2015-2016 season in Cleveland. His two defensive highlights punctuated a sound defensive game for the Lakers against a short-handed Nets that was missing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Iriving.
As a team, the Lakers held the Nets to a 42.0% field goal percentage and forced 18 turnovers. LA protected the rim as well; they totaled 9 blocks in the much needed win.
LeBron finished the game with two blocks and three steals.
If the Lakers are going to keep winning games, they’ll need to have their Ed Reed continue to take interceptions to the house.
