Video: NBABruceBrown believes the toughest series was against the Timberwolves, not the Lakers

Video: NBABruceBrown believes the toughest series was against the Timberwolves, not the Lakers. LeBron ran out of gas in Game 4.

Detroit Pistons guard Bruce Brown recently appeared on Theo Pinson's podcast.

When asked if he had anticipated the Nuggets, whom he played for last season, sweeping the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, Brown said, "I didn't think so. I didn't think we would sweep them. I thought they would win a game in Los Angeles.

I knew we would take Game 3, and I thought they would win Game 4 because they were already down 0-3, and I thought they would play harder.

But LeBron ran out of gas. He scored 30 points in the first half, right? How many points were they ahead? 15 points? "We (in the first half) kept missing shots, but LeBron couldn't do it... He had to score 60 points to win.

He couldn't do it, he was already exhausted. He started the third quarter so passively, and we thought, 'Oh, he can't do it anymore.'

And we switched our defense on him, I defended him poorly, but AG (Aaron Gordon) was strong, and AG's performance throughout the playoffs was crucial.

" In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, LeBron played the entire game for 47 minutes and 56 seconds, making 15 of 25 shots and scoring 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. LeBron scored a career-high 31 points in the first half, setting a new record for his postseason career. The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves in the first round in five games and eliminated the Suns 4-2 in the semifinals, sweeping the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.