Pierce: LeBron's legacy on line vs. Blazers

The Los Angeles Lakers' Game 1 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers already has some observers raising questions about LeBron James' legacy.

Former NBA star Paul Pierce said Wednesday that a first-round loss in the NBA playoff bubble would take away from James' accomplishments.

"LeBron's not getting any younger," Pierce said on ESPN's The Jump. "This is going to be a big hit on his legacy, and I've already said he's not a top-five player of all time. If the Lakers don't win a championship, let alone lose in the first round, I don't want to hear none of this GOAT talk no more."

Pierce said in May that LeBron isn't in the NBA's all-time top five. James has never been on the losing end of a first-round series during his 17-year NBA career.

While poor shooting did the Lakers in in Game 1 on Tuesday, there are concerns the Lakers don't have enough depth behind James and Anthony Davis.

Calls to move Kyle Kuzma into the starting lineup while sliding Davis to center have intensified ahead of Game 2, although Kuzma told reporters Wednesday that such a move is coach Frank Vogel's decision.

"I'm not the coach, I'm just a player," Kuzma said. "If they call on me to start, then obviously you guys have seen what I've done, what I do. Just come in and try to be myself."

Kuzma played well off the bench in Game 1, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. James, Davis, and Kuzma played 16 minutes together in Game 1, posting a net rating of plus-9.4. The trio only played 284 minutes together during the regular season, but posted a net rating of 14.7.