LeBron James aid of Russell Westbrook af

LeBron James aid of Russell Westbrook af

When Darvin Ham was introduced as the Lakers' new head coach, competitivene s, togetherne s and accountability as the three tenets that would help turn the franchise around. After a 2-10 start to the 2022-23 campaign, LA has begun to lean upon those tenets as it attempts to salvage its season before it's too late.Thanks to a softer spot in their schedule, the Lakers have Brian Urlacher Jersey won five of their last six games despite both LeBron James and Anthony Davis mi sing time due to injuries. In LA's most recent win a 143-138 victory over San Antonio a flagrant foul that left Ru sell Westbrook bloodied brought the group together in a way that Ham has long envisioned for his team.Late in the third quarter of the Lakers' win, Spurs big man Zach Collins struck Westbrook on the forehead, drawing the former MVP's ire. Who better to calm one former MVP down than another? James quickly de-escalated the situation, going as far as applying pre sure to Westbrook's laceration with a towel taken from a member of the training staff.Don't Touch Ru s Zach Collins has been ejected with a flagrant two foul. Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) Collins would be ejected for his Flagrant 2 while Westbrook would be a se sed a technical foul for his reaction. Had it not been for James swooping in, Westbrook Dan Hampton Jersey 's reaction might have warranted a stricter punishment."That's what togetherne s looks like being there for your teammate," Ham said of the incident postgame. "He takes a shot to the head and you don't want to escalate the situation, you want to try to calm him down. You've got a guy with blood all over his face who's understandably upset and just having Bron there, it shows a brotherhood."We need that to represent us as a team and as a franchise."In the two-plus years since winning the NBA title Sherrick McManis Jersey in 2020, the Lakers franchise has been in search of an identity. A lack of chemistry has resulted in a number of personnel changes and as a byproduct, the team's on-court performance has suffered.MORE:However brief of a moment the incident made for at the ATT Center on Saturday, it showed that the Lakers are improving on the chemistry front, something James indicated in his postgame comments."Before (Westbrook and I) became teammates, we've always been like brothers and cool and things of that nature, so his health is more important than the game of basketball. I was just trying to stop that and let the training staff do their job when we got to the bench."It was a tough blow, obviously, but I didn't want to let Ru s escalate it any further, Eddie Goldman Jersey " James added. "I just tried to step in there and tried to diffuse it as much as po sible."LeBron James said he first wanted to treat Westbrook's cut since "his health is more important than the game." Once the situation de-escalated, he wanted to do something to Zach Collins. Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) The off-court chemistry and on-court chemistry go hand-in-hand, a point emphasized by James and Westbrook's show-stopping play during the first half of the game in San Antonio. Ru s and Bron go SHOWTIME on the break!The lead by 2 at the half on NBA League Pa s NBA (@NBA) With the amount noise surrounding Westbrook's role and fit with the Lakers moving forward, it's that same togetherne s, competitivene s and accountability that will allow this team to continue its turnaround as the schedule gets tougher.After closing the month of November at home, LA Show All Chicago Bears Jersey faces a road-heavy December schedule that tips off with a six-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents.If the Lakers can continue to build upon this recent stretch, perhaps we'll look back at the moment in San Antonio as a turning point.