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Los Angeles, CA, Monday, November 15, 2021 - Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso (6) hugs LeBron James during a break in the first quarter as the former Laker is given a tribute at Staples Center. Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Tense moments between former teammates LeBron James and Alex Caruso featured a lot of trash talking in the second round series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. James called out Caruso multiple times during the series before the Thunder eventually won with a dominant 4-0 sweep. However, all moments of tension ended once the final buzzer sounded to see LeBron showing all love to Caruso.
Cameras caught James saying the following message to Caruso and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the Game 4 elimination:
“Take it all the way. Go get another one (NBA Championship).”
LeBron was upset at Caruso and other Thunder players throughout the series. Various complaints from James, head coach JJ Redick, and other Lakers called out the officiating due to Oklahoma City getting away with playing physical basketball. Caruso and LeBron getting into a couple of public on-court arguments felt surprising given their friendship.
James has called Caruso one of his favorite teammates in the past after they won an NBA Championship together for the 2020 Lakers. Caruso leaving Los Angeles created an absence that the Lakers were never able to replace. No Lakers defender has come close to Caruso’s versatile defense guarding the opponent’s best player every night.
Why LeBron Clashed With Alex Caruso During Series
LeBron started talking negatively to Caruso over an incident that more involved Lu Dort making an allegedly dirty play. Both James and Austin Reaves complained to referees about a previous Dort play that caused Caruso to get involved and suggest they stop talking.
Caruso told LeBron to sit down and get some rest before he headed to the bench to escalate the situation. James fired back by telling Caruso that the play by Dort was “bull****” and started getting louder for the cameras to easily pick up.
The entire series featured Oklahoma City playing aggressive defense, and it clearly upset LeBron. Lakers players felt they couldn’t get anything working in their favor against a clearly superior team. James and Caruso both lost their cool in the heat of the moment of playoff basketball, but it didn’t impact their friendship in any way once the games ended.
LeBron Believes Oklahoma City Thunder Will Win Title
The statements made by James after the game to both Gilgeous-Alexander and Caruso showed that he expects the Thunder to win the NBA Championship. LeBron is rarely caught telling other players to get the ring after elimination, but he said it since it’s the most likely scenario this season.
Post-game comments from James also showed respect for Oklahoma City as a team having the chance to accomplish something special. The Thunder have yet to lose a playoff game this year with an 8-0 record through two rounds.
All-Star Jalen Williams missing time hasn’t even impacted Oklahoma City due to names like Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain stepping up. The Thunder are the strong NBA Championship favorites for a reason, and James told their players to get that second consecutive ring. Eight more wins are needed for OKC to repeat as NBA Champions.