Stephen A.: Kawhi said LeBron needs to ‘stop being scared and guard him’

No matter how many games the Los Angeles Lakers win and how many games up they are in the Western Conference until they beat the Los Angeles Clippers, the Clippers will still be seen by many as the team to beat in the West. And an anecdote from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith isn’t making that notion go away.

After the Lakers beat the Knicks last night to move to 30-7, ESPN’s First Take moved to a discussion about whether they are worried about the Lakers despite their 30-7 record. According to Stephen A. Smith, Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard believes LeBron is ducking him on defense.

Of course I didn’t speak to Kawhi. Who does? But I’ll tell you, I DID hear he said THIS about @KingJames guarding him. And if this is true, that’s even more of a reason to pray for a @Lakers vs @Clippers Conference Finals this May. pic.twitter.com/k6t1CdOA9S

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) January 8, 2020

Kawhi is feeling pretty good about himself and it’s hard to blame him after having two dominant performances against the Lakers in two victories, on the heels of dominating the NBA playoffs and winning the 2019 NBA Finals MVP.

Although Leonard’s full-time availability is affected by a knee issue, it’s clear that when the chips are down, he believes in the best in the game. And he wants LeBron to guard him so he can drive that point home.