Asking A Lot of Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom averaged 19.5 points, 11 rebounds and shot 51.8% in 32 minutes in Games 5 and 6 against the Denver Nuggets and is back in the NBA Finals as the Lakers face off against Orlando Magic in Game 1 at Staples Center on Thursday, with high expectations weighing on him. Said Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, also an NBA analyst for ESPN and a minority owner of the Lakers, of Odom, “They expect more, they want more from Lamar. When people look at Lamar, they see so much more in him. They see all that talent he has there and they are begging for more. That’s a good thing.” Johnson continued to describe Odom as “one of the nicest guys in the league” saying, “Guys like him don’t come around much. That’s what I love about him.”

When asked about other’s expectations of him after practice on Tuesday Odom shrugged and said, “It’s motivation. It’s a compliment at the end of the day. People like the way that I play. They want to see it at a high level all the time because it’s enjoying to them.” Odom will be coming off the bench to defend Rashard Lewis, the Orlando’s 6-foot-10 power forward, in Game 1 on Thursday and knows the importance of the game saying, “The biggest matchup is the Magic versus the Lakers.” Odom has played through his pain since bruising his back in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston and is in the final year of a $14.1 million contract with the Lakers.

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