Two former teammates on opposite coasts playing for storied rivals are both experiencing their share of disappointment this season. With another loss on Monday night, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers fell further out of playoff contention. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are on track to get a playoff spot but don't seem to be meeting expectations of fans for how well they should be playing with the talent they have. NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving recently spoke up about the way things are viewed for himself and LeBron James in spite of all they do.

Lakers' struggles tied to LeBron

There has been recent talk that the Lakers will fire Luke Walton after the season. However, there are those who feel LeBron has wanted Walton gone even sooner than that. In addition, others blame LeBron for wanting another All-Star in Los Angeles to help him win another title. There's also the frustration he's shown with teammates and his own "less-than-LeBron" caliber play at times. A recent video showing LeBron yelling at his teammate or committing a rare turnover on a simply inbounds play are a few examples.

LeBron won a championship in Cleveland with the Cavaliers and was teamed up with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving there. Ultimately, Irving chose to depart from the Cavs (by demanding a trade), feeling he wanted to be his own star with another team.

The media scrutinized that to report that it was LeBron who drove him away. Recent reports suggest the two players have since spoken about all that. A phone call from Kyrie to LeBron helped Irving clear the air and admit maybe he was wrong with how he acted. They're now in different situations trying to succeed, but once again, the fan and media pressure on them has been mounting.

Kyrie speaks out about 'body of work'

Fast forward to the latest NBA season. The Lakers and Celtics were each on the losing end of the equation in their recent games. Boston fell to the hot scoring talents of James Harden and the Rockets at home on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Clippers on Monday night, pushing them 5.5 games out of playoff contention.

Recent comments from Kyrie Irving speak to how he feels there's unfair treatment towards himself, LeBron James, and also the Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant. He talked about the "constant battle" due to media scrutiny, despite the "body of work" that they've achieved.

Kyrie's comments seem to bring some truth to the matter. LeBron James is constantly considered the greatest player, often compared to the greats like Michael Jordan, and many have said he's eclipsed Kobe Bryant. Now that LeBron is on Los Angeles, he's expected to apply that greatness to a team that is seriously struggling. Unfortunately, King James has been unable to get that done.

That said, another factor not brought up enough could be that the Lakers have been missing the services of Lonzo Ball.

He's been sidelined due to injury for a considerable stretch of games. Having a playmaker of his capabilities on the court for the Lakers certainly was an added bit of help that they needed for this postseason push.

Interestingly enough, the Lakers and Celtics will meet up in ABC's Saturday primetime game in Los Angeles. It should be interesting to see how things turn out between former teammates and struggling stars.
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