LeBron James Sends Strong Message About Thunder Ahead of Round 2 Series

News ArticlePublishedMay 02, 2026 at 02:17 PM EDTupdatedMay 02, 2026 at 02:18 PM EDTBy Cole SullivanThe Los Angeles Lakers faced the Oklahoma City Thunder three times this season and lost all three matchups by an average margin of roughly 29 points.Now, the two teams are set to meet in a seven-game second-round playoff series after the Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 98–78 on Friday night to close out their first-round series, led by LeBron James.Following the win, James offered a detailed assessment of the Thunder, highlighting both their defensive pressure and star power, including MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.“Obviously we’re playing against the defending champions. So my early scout — we’ll get into it in a couple of days — but obviously it’s the defending champ,” James said. “One thing you have to do is protect the ball versus those guys. They play physical, handsy defense. If you allow them to get a lot of pick-sixes and ignite their transition game, it fuels their team.“We know the head of the snake, possible back-to-back MVP for SGA. We’ll scout them. They’re a really well-equipped team. It’s not just SGA — we know he’s the head honcho, but it trickles down from the