Lakers News: Stephen A Smith Explains How LeBron Can Earn GOAT Status In Playoffs

The Los Angeles Lakers will be taking on the Denver Nuggets to open the 2024 playoffs, a rematch of the Western Conference Finals from a year ago. Los Angeles was swept out of the postseason by Denver and then proceeded to lose each game the two teams matched up in this season.

The Nuggets have dominated against the Lakers in recent times, making them heavy favorites entering into this series. But when a team has LeBron James and Anthony Davis, they always have a chance, no matter how small that may be.

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith weighed in on James heading into the playoffs, saying that if he can take down Denver to then win another title, the debate of Greatest of All Time would be over.

Many people believe that the GOAT debate is already over, with James taking the crown. But there are others who believe James still has more to prove when it comes to passing Michael Jordan.

With Denver being the defending champions and their recent domination over the Lakers, it does stand to give James more of an edge in the debate if he can take them down. However, right now, James isn't worried about the GOAT discussion and is instead focused on being ready to go for game one of the series.

While beating Denver would be great for the Lakers, it's only round one. They would then still need to get through the rest of the postseason bracket, which would be a challenge in itself. The Lakers aren't thinking about just beating Denver, but rather finding a way to hoist up title No. 18 for the city of Los Angeles.

More NBA: Lakers Favored To Trade For Controversial All-Star This Summer