Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE: And I'm Nate Rott in Los Angeles, home to the 16-time NBA champion Lakers. LeBron James does not have to make any promises here, but the expectations around LA are higher than they've been since Kobe Bryant hung up his sneakers. Tony McCloud is outside of the Staples Center among the statues of former Lakers greats Magic Johnson, ball in hand, Shaquille O'Neal with a double-handed dunk. TONY MCCLOUD: He's about to blow it up. Get ready for the ride. ROTT: And McCloud is already imagining the statue to come. MCCLOUD: It's going to be that signature King James - put his hands up in the air after he (clapping) pops it like that. That's what it's going to be like, oh, yeah. ROTT: OK, so maybe McCloud is getting a little ahead of himself, but really, can you blame him? The last time LeBron James was not in the finals in 2010, Lonzo Ball, the Lakers' biggest young start, was only 12 years old. Matthew Lawry says James is the best
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