LeBron James
Photo: essentiallysports.com

The Lakers continued their regular season struggles with a loss to the Clippers (115-119). It was the 12th defeat of the season for the purple and gold.

With a record of 12-12, the Lakers find themselves in the 7th place in the Western Conference. It is not the expected spot for one of the favorites to win it all this season.

According to sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, there is a reason for the Lakers to fear. “Fear is applicable when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers,” he said on ESPN as transcribed by Lakers Daily. “They’re the ones who should fear the [Phoenix] Suns.

“They’re the ones who should fear the [Golden State] Warriors because the Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of putting an emphatic exclamation point to the era of LeBron James.

“There is no such thing as the LeBron James era if you ain’t in the Finals. … It ain’t LeBron James fault. When that brother healthy, we know what he brings to the table, but because of the rest of the team, the Lakers are on the verge of being irrelevant in the championship equation.”