LeBron James offered his own explanation for why his Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Lakers fell in five games to Minnesota, and in the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast, James attributed the defeat to the Lakers simply running into a bad matchup.
“When it comes to the postseason, matchups sometimes just (don’t) determine how well of a regular season you had. We ran into a damn good matchup,” James said. “A team that’s been battle-tested, a team that’s hungry, a team (with) a lot of youth but also experience at the same time, and another team that’s trying to make the next step. They were a worthy opponent, that’s for sure.”
.@KingJames reflects on why Minnesota had the upper hand in the playoffs.
Episode 5 is out now. Watch on our YouTube, @PrimeVideo or listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://t.co/zpZFpXGFPo pic.twitter.com/UqPSw0SnJi
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) May 8, 2025
In many ways, the Timberwolves were a bad matchup for the Lakers. Many were quick to point out how their lack of size left them at a disadvantage against the likes of Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. James undoubtedly knows that.
There were certain instances in which the Timberwolves seemed eager to show the Lakers just how hungry they were for success. The Lakers were motivated, but even James seems to believe that Minnesota really wanted this one, and it likely played a role.
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