"Looked like he was in Cleveland again" - Former Celtics champs bullish on LeBron James and Luka Doncic's Lakers 

LeBron James’ partnership with Luka Doncic got off to a rough start. They began with a 132-113 win against the Utah Jazz before losing in the rematch 131-119 in mid-February. The Los Angeles Lakers returned from the All-Star break with a defeat at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets, another struggling team like the Jazz.

Since then, the LA Lakers have been on a roll. They blew away the Denver Nuggets 123-100 on Feb. 22 before recording back-to-back wins against the Dallas Mavericks (107-99) and Minnesota Timberwolves (111-102).

In the "KG Certified" podcast, Kevin Garnett, who won the 2008 championship with the Boston Celtics, said:

“They smoked Denver! Bron [James] looked like he was in Cleveland again. Motherf**ker like had seven dunks!”

Paul Pierce, Garnett’s co-host and the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, added:

“The Lakers are looking scary.”

The two legends laughed when they realized LeBron James would be the second-best player on a championship team. Pierce claimed that against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, Luka Doncic would cancel out Nikola Jokic across the board. According to the co-host, the four-time MVP is much better than any player Denver has after "The Joker".

Doncic struggled in his first three games, averaging 14.7 points on 36.6% efficiency, including 30.0% from deep. The Slovenian continues to misfire from behind the arc, but he has played much better. JJ Redick is running the offense through him, which has allowed James to score with freedom. The 40-year-old star looks revitalized playing alongside Doncic.

The results have been impressive once Luka Doncic and LeBron James figured out how to play with each other. Once the role players got more comfortable with the superstar pairing, they stepped up as well.

---

LA Lakers are climbing the Western Conference standings behind Luka Doncic and LeBron James

The LA Lakers had a 28-19 record for fifth place in the Western Conference when the team traded Anthony Davis for Doncic. James said he had no idea that a deal was in the process until he was informed about it.

Since beating the New York Knicks 128-112 on the night the Doncic-Davis trade happened, the Lakers are 9-2. Before the game against the LA Clippers on Friday, they improved their record to 36-21 for fourth in the Western Conference. A victory against their hometown rivals would inch them closer to the OKC Thunder (48-11).

The Lakers might be hitting their stride as Luka Doncic and LeBron James get more playing time together. Topping the Thunder in the standings might not happen, but they seem ready for another deep playoff run.