LeBron James believes it's 'good' for Lakers 'to be tested' following third-straight OT win

The Los Angeles Lakers won their third-straight overtime game Wednesday night, in large part thanks to some late-game heroics from LeBron James, who hit a game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation and then snagged a last-second steal to seal the OT win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

LeBron said after the game that as the reigning champs, the Lakers essentially have a target on their back, as every team that plays them will want to play extra hard to beat last season's champions. But rather than see that as a negative, LeBron believes it's a good thing for the Lakers to get pushed as they prepare to defend their title.

"Every game is going to be its own challenge," LeBron explained. "We don't mind playing games that go down to the wire, we don't mind playing games where you've got to execute. We have that championship DNA. I mean, it's good for us to be tested."

So far, the Lakers have certainly shown no signs of slumping after winning the title in October, as they are currently riding a six-game winning streak and are just a half-game behind the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference standings. Their success has been largely thanks to LeBron, who has managed to once again insert himself near the top of the way-too-early MVP rankings while averaging 25.5 points, 7.9 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game this season.

But hopefully, the Lakers get a break from overtime games for a while, as the players could surely use it so their bodies can recover.