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LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ first loss of the season was a few minutes old when it was suggested to LeBron James that the game had been his team’s first “test” of the season. James did not like that word, “test,” and he made that clear to the gaggle of reporters that surrounded him at his locker at Staples Center on Tuesday night.
“I disagree,” he said. “I disagree on how big of a test it was. It’s the first game. Obviously, the N.B.A. is back, and everyone is trying to have the narrative of a rivalry game and a huge test.