LeBron James was dancing, smiling, gesturing, high kicking and doing celebratory mid-air butt bumps Friday morning, as the Los Angeles Lakers went through their ritualistic pregame shootaround at the team's training facility in El Segundo.
After battling for a badly needed victory on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, James and the Lakers face opposition that has been routinely crushing spirits and turning smiles upside down all season long.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the front runner for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, along with Houston's James Harden, and the Milwaukee Bucks are the best team in the NBA through 61 games of an 82-game season.
The Lakers, meanwhile, are the 10th best team in the Western Conference through 61 games, and with only 21 games remaining, the purple and gold cannot afford any more home defeats, even against the best team -- and player -- in the league.
As a point forward, Antetokounmpo has obviously drawn comparisons to James.
"If you just look at every single year, how he's been able to evolve as a player -- obviously, his physique has evolved; his mental approach has evolved and the franchise has evolved," a shirtless James said about the Bucks' star Friday morning in El Segundo.
James added, "Greatly appreciate to see someone that gives their all to the game, and I think when you do that, the games automatically gives back to you."
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Antetokounmpo, 24, is a decade younger than James, 34, but the "Greek freak" is a special player pegged to one day take over the mantle of the best player on the planet. James, of course, has held onto that crown in recent years and appears to be in no rush to relinquish that title.
"He's one of those guys where it's a five-man job," Lakers coach Luke Walton said about Antetokounmpo Friday morning. "He's too good to guard by yourself."
Defense has continued to be a cause for concern for the Lakers as they desperately make their playoff push. Since James returned from a major groin injury, the Lakers' defensive rating ranks 24th out of 30 teams.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have the best defensive rating in the NBA.
Another major issue for the Lakers has been turnovers and, in particular, opponents scoring points off the LA's mistakes. Over the past 10 games, which is when James returned from his injury, the Lakers have been giving up 19.1 points to opponents off turnovers, which ranks 25th in the league.
Essentially, teams are getting easy buckets off LA's errors, and the Lakers simply cannot afford to shoot themselves in the foot considering they are already trailing in the race for the playoffs.
While Friday's game is vital to the Lakers staying in the race for the playoffs, the Lakers' best chance to qualify for the postseason would require the team to gain momentum. A win against the Buck surely wouldn't hurt morale in El Segundo.
After the Bucks on Friday night, the Lakers face the Suns in Phoenix in a game LA should win Saturday night, before returning home to face tough tests against the LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics.
A five-game road trip follows the game against Boston, so winning at home, regardless of the opposition, is of the utmost importance for a Lakers' team that is three games out of the playoffs in the west.
A win Friday night against Milwaukee may ultimately still not be enough to get the Lakers back into the postseason, but a win against the best team in the NBA would almost certainly help the team gain momentum and confidence ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
Also, Antetokounmpo facing James head-to-head alone is worth the price of admission, as one can't help but feel like a torch is in the process of being passed.
Notes: Walton said he's start with the same starters as last game, which featured a return of Rajon Rondo to the starting lineup. Lance Stephenson was limited in his movement, but Walton said he would rely on his medical staff to make the decision on Stephenson's involvement Friday night. Lonzo Ball, who was expected scheduled to be evaluated on Thursday and to return soon, will be reevaluated for an ankle injury and bone bruise in a week's time, the team said on Thursday.
