LeBron James says Los Angeles Lakers chemistry will take time to develop

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"Uh, not as fast as you think it will happen," said James when asked how long it would take for the Lakers chemistry to develop. "I always compare that to instant oatmeal – it's not that fast – it takes a while to get to where you can close your eyes and find out exactly where you're going." guys."

James had 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, but watched the Lakers miss their first 15 attempts of 3 points, surrender with 14 offensive rebounds and 21 second chance points and lacking cohesion at both ends at different times. The Lakers also showed flashes of promise, especially with their pace, as they outshot Portland 34-12 by quick points. Six Lakers also scored in double digits.

"I loved our fight to get back into the game," James said. "We had two numbers below, I loved the way we sometimes competed, I also liked the way we shared the ball, they were all positive elements."

With Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, and co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight, to watch, this game looked like a major event, with more hype than a typical start to the season. Before the game, a horde of cameramen and reporters recorded all of James' milestones from the team's bus to his booth.

James was an image of tranquility before the match, creating the atmosphere of his debut with the Lakers with a teak-mahogany scented candle that was burning in the empty booth next to him.

His debut in the Lakers had a dazzling start. The Lakers were leading early at 10 pm, and James' first basket of purple and gold came after he stole a pass from Jake Layman before taking off for a wild and uncontested power bottling with 9:21 to do in the first quarter. Less than 20 seconds later, James crossed the path before throwing another dunk that was shaking. After the two slams, James watched Lynn Merritt, leader of Knight and Nike, sitting on the edge of the court near the basket where James was engulfed.

"I was just in first place," said Lonzo Ball, who left the bench behind starter Rajon Rondo. " [Two] of the two best games I've ever seen. "

But some of the problems that many people thought could darken the Lakers this season – especially at the beginning – came to light in the first game. In free will, the Lakers deliberately surrounded James with several bullets and did not hire shooting specialists as the Cleveland Cavaliers had done with James in the past.

The 15 Lakers started the game by missing their first 15 shots by 3 points before Josh Hart (20 points) made the team's first triple with a time remaining of 2:22 in the third quarter. Hart, who also hit at 3 points on the third quarter strike, helped the Lakers to finish 7 to 30 behind the bow.

The Lakers management believes the team has enough shooting with players like Hart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma all expected to improve their shots this season.

"I hope it's a stroke of luck," Ball said. "Let's hope it does not happen again, I do not think we're going to shoot 0 to 15 again."

The ball (seven points) hit a pointer at 3: 8: 07 remaining in the game to shoot the Lakers in the 101-100. But Lillard responded with a 3-pointer to trigger an 18-6 run. Lillard (28 points) and McCollum (21 points) combined 20 points in the last eight minutes to lead Portland to a 16th consecutive victory over the Lakers. Nik Stauskas added 24 points to Portland, who won their first home game in 18 consecutive seasons.

Lakers head coach Luke Walton tried various formations in the first game of the season. He used James at one point with four of the Lakers' one-year signatures, including Rondo, Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee. Walton also played James alongside the four Lakers, Ingram, Kuzma, Ball and Hart.

"He [is] will take patience with our team and with each and every one of us, "said James. To simply understand ourselves, to determine what we are good at, to determine what we are not good at, how we can be better at it. . it's a good first test for us, being in a building where they have not lost [a home opener] in the 2000s ".

The Lakers are hoping their future core will adjust to play alongside James faster than expected. In the other two times, James made his debut with a new team.

The Heat had a 9-8 season start in James' first season in Miami, before winning 12 straight games, finishing at 58-24 and reaching the first of his four consecutive appearances at the NBA Finale.

When James returned to Cleveland, the Cavaliers opened 19-20 under David Blatt before winning 12 straight wins, finishing 53-29 and qualifying for the first of four consecutive NBA finals.

"We are literally less than a month away," said James about the team since the start of the training camp at the end of September. "So, it's still early, you still have to go through some things, you'll go through hardships, see how guys react, see what guys are doing."