{"id":275073,"date":"2025-04-28T02:22:32","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T02:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/28\/remember-mj-won-defensive-player-of-the-year\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:44","slug":"remember-mj-won-defensive-player-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/28\/remember-mj-won-defensive-player-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Remember MJ won Defensive Player of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4894590\" data-slug-id=\"2494489\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Well-known <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/lebron-james\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">LeBron James<\/a> critic Skip Bayless unleashed multiple tirades at the Lakers star following their 116-113 Game 4 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, a loss that dropped them into a 3-1 series hole.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the game, Bayless took aim at James on social media, as the Lakers squandered a double-digit lead and were outscored 32-19 in the fourth quarter while Minnesota leaned on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/anthony-edwards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Anthony Edwards<\/a>\u2019 late-game heroics.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cNOOOOOO WAAAAAAYYYYYY. THE LAKERS JUST BLEW A 10-POINT 4TH QUARTER LEAD AS LEBRON WENT SCORELESS IN THE 4TH AND AUSTIN REAVES MISSED THE TYING 3 FROM THE CORNER (FAR RIM) AT THE BUZZER,\u201d Bayless tweeted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p><template id=\"bets-today-poll\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"preview-card-holder bets-today-poll\">\n<p><span class=\"date\"\/> \u2022 <span class=\"time\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"march-madness-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/march-madness-logo.png\" height=\"42\" width=\"99\" alt=\"march madness logo\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>As the action unfolded, Bayless also criticized James\u2019 defensive impact, posting:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cREMEMBER, MICHAEL JORDAN WON A DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>James finished with a defensive rating of 125.0 in Game 4, while the Lakers as a whole posted a 126.1 rating, struggling particularly to protect the paint where they were outscored 48-30. Starting big man Jaxson Hayes logged just 4:21 of playing time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/luka-doncic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Luka Doncic<\/a> paced the Lakers with 38 points on 13-for-28 shooting, with James contributing a well-rounded stat line of 27 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota\u2019s bench production was also a key factor, outscoring LA\u2019s reserves 25-6.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the fourth-quarter collapse, James still leads all players in the 2025 playoffs in stocks \u2014 combined steals and blocks \u2014 with 17.<\/p>\n<h2>Magic Johnson questions Lakers&#8217; strategy that may have led to LeBron James going scoreless in 4Q<\/h2>\n<p>Lakers legend Magic Johnson also weighed in after the loss, raising concerns about the team&#8217;s choice to play both LeBron James and Luka Doncic for the entire second half.<\/p>\n<p>James logged 46:14 of game time, while Doncic clocked 45:49. They helped LA surge in the third quarter, outscoring the Timberwolves 36-23, but faded down the stretch as Minnesota dominated the fourth.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI dont know if it smart to play LeBron and Luka the entire second half after only having one day of rest between Games 3 and 4,\u201d Johnson posted on X. \u201cWhen we needed LeBron to take over in the fourth quarter he couldn\u2019t &#8211; he scored 0 points in the fourth.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>LeBron James nearly set up a buzzer-beating, game-tying 3-pointer for Austin Reaves, but Reaves missed the shot from the corner.<\/p>\n<p>Game 5 will shift back to LA, tipping off Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/1253811-1730125987-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;John Ezekiel Hirro&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nJohn Ezekiel Hirro is an experienced NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda, with over five years in the field as a news correspondent, sports writer, and Editor-in-Chief. His sports writing career began in high school, where he garnered numerous accolades, including being named the national sports writing champion in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>He earned his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines in 2024 and served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Varsitarian, the university&#8217;s official student publication, for four years\u2014the longest in history.<\/p>\n<p>A passionate basketball enthusiast, he became a fan of the OKC Thunder during the Russ-KD-Harden era. Russell Westbrook, his all-time favorite athlete, impressed him by stepping up as MVP after Kevin Durant&#8217;s departure. His current favorite players include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who he believes are the future of the OKC franchise.<\/p>\n<p>He excels in game analysis and rapid news story turnaround, drawing inspiration from the journalistic styles of Woj and Shams. He emphasizes thorough research to ensure accuracy in his articles. One of his most memorable moments is Russell Westbrook breaking Oscar Robertson&#8217;s record with his 42nd triple-double and securing a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Outside of writing, he enjoys listening to music and creating Spotify playlists.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/hirrojohnezekiel-0b23b\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/news-skip-bayless-takes-shot-lebron-james-defense-game-4-loss-remember-mj-won-defensive-player-year\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Well-known LeBron James critic Skip Bayless unleashed multiple tirades at the Lakers star following their 116-113 Game 4 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275074,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275073"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}