LeBron James knew what was coming. And he didn't like it.
After the Los Angeles Lakers' blowout win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday, a reporter began asking a seemingly innocuous question: "Does a game like this, against the Celtics, against the champs —"
James cut him off.
"No, it sure don't," James said. "I can tell the enthusiasm in your voice and heard that question way too many times in my career. Absolutely not. It's one game. They hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy. We're trying to aspire to get there."
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While James was quick to squash the narrative that the Lakers' 117-96 win over the defending champion Celtics meant anything beyond a regular season victory in January, it's no secret that the Lakers have been on a heater as of late.
They've won four games in a row and six of their last seven, including routes against Boston and Washington (111-88) last week. On Saturday, they beat James' longtime rival Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, 118-108. And Monday, Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds en route to a 112-107 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
So, in our latest NBA rankings, the Lakers are the biggest movers and shakers.
After an inconsistent start, they're seemingly hitting their stride. It's coming at an interesting point in the season, when they're just over a week away from the NBA trade deadline. Over their last seven games, they're fifth in defensive rating, a notable leap from being 22nd in that category on the season.
It remains to be seen what that means.
RELATED: With NBA trade deadline looming, Anthony Davis — not LeBron James — is putting pressure on Lakers
Has Lakers coach JJ Redick's message of doing the small things finally landed? Or is the team making an emphatic pitch to general manager Rob Pelinka to go all in on a trade that could make them championship contenders? Or has their last seven games just been a fluke?
In this week's NBA rankings, the spotlight is on the Lakers, who are surely relishing in two wins over recent NBA champions (the Warriors in 2022 and the Celtics). That said, they'd be loath to admit it in the middle of the regular season, especially coming from a guy like James, who knows a thing or two about what it takes to reach the Finals (10 appearances) and win championships (four).
NBA Power Rankings
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Houston Rockets
- Boston Celtics
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- LA Clippers
- New York Knicks
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Phoenix Suns
- Indiana Pacers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Orlando Magic
- Sacramento Kings
- Miami Heat
- Golden State Warriors
- Detroit Pistons
- Atlanta Hawks
- Philadelphia 76ers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Chicago Bulls
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Toronto Raptors
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Charlotte Hornets
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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