Rockets vs Lakers Fight With Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram Ejected | NBA Highlights
LeBron James was mere feet away when Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul traded punches but bizarrely claimed he "didn't see anything" of the chaotic scene.
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James gave a ludicrous response to the instantly infamous Scuffle at the Staples Center, bizarrely claiming he "did not see" the violent ruckus that centered around Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo on Saturday night.
James was mere feet away when Rondo and Paul traded punches deep into the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ home opener, and was looking directly at the fracas. As Paul received a heavy left-handed blow to the face from Rondo, James ushered the Houston Rockets star — a close friend — away from the melee and attempted to placate him.
However, James later claimed no knowledge of the nationally televised fight, which could result in suspensions for Paul, Rondo and Lakers swingman Brandon Ingram.
"I didn't see anything and I didn't say nothing to my team after the game," James told reporters following his team’s 124-115 defeat. "Coach (Luke Walton) said what he had to say, we will come in tomorrow and get better."
Three reasons the Red Sox will Beat The Dodgers
1. Offense. The Red Sox knocked around a great Astros pitching staff for 29 runs in five games; Houston had not allowed seven runs in three consecutive games this year until the ALCS. Maybe it should not have come as a surprise given the Red Sox led the major leagues in virtually every important offensive category this season.The surprise is that Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez did not carry the Red Sox in the dismantling of the Astros. It was more Jackie Bradley Jr., who won the LCS MVP by driving in nine runs, all with two outs, one short of Yogi Berra's record (in 1956) for most two-out RBIs in a postseason series. That has been the secret of the 2018 Red Sox offense: Nos. 1 through 9, it doesn't always look intimidating, it includes its fair share of soft spots, yet it always seems to produce.
The Red Sox are especially good at home, where they went 57-24 this season, the best record in the major leagues. They averaged 5.8 runs per game at Fenway Park, and allowed 4.0 runs, the second-largest disparity by any team in the past 15 years. Fenway can be especially dangerous for left-handed pitchers, and the Dodgers likely will start three left-handed pitchers.
2. Outfield defense. The Red Sox have the best defensive outfield in the game. They start three center fielders: Andrew Benintendi in left, Bradley in center and Betts in right. Bradley might win a Gold Glove this season. In Game 4 of the ALCS, Betts, the best defensive right fielder in the game, turned a home run by Jose Altuve into an interference call by leaping above the right field fence to make an attempted catch. Benintendi saved that game with a diving catch with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning. With all the strikeouts in the game today, defense has been de-emphasized on certain days because fewer balls are put in play, but no team can win with a lousy outfield defense, and a great outfield defense such as Boston's can mean the difference in not just one game, but a seven-game series.
3. Chemistry. It is corny, it is clichéd, it is difficult to quantify, but in the case of the Red Sox, the togetherness they show is real. It began in spring training, during which Boston closer Craig Kimbrel had to leave the team to be with his 3-month-old daughter, who needed heart surgery. When he returned, the team embraced him; the players and coaches stood in the middle of the clubhouse, held hands and prayed. "I have never seen that before in my career," Martinez said.
At the end of spring training, pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez took the whole team out to dinner. "Everyone showed up," Cora said. "Of all the teams I've been on, I've never seen that." In mid-August in Philadelphia, Rodriguez pitched a simulated game at 2 p.m. before a 7 p.m. game. Betts, who wasn't in the lineup that night, was there to watch the simulated game. David Price, the highest-paid player on the team, was there, standing behind the mound, acting as the umpire, and support-giver.
"I've never seen anything like that," Cora said. "This team is different." Read More Here
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