Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are on their way to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season after sweeping LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. was simply outmatched in their Western Conference Semifinals matchup, especially without superstar Luka Doncic in the lineup.
James, however, did about as good a job as anyone could have expected leading the Lakers. He averaged 23.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game on 50.0% from the field as the No. 1 option at age 41. It felt almost impossible for James to be doing what he did, and the reigning MVP gave him that same credit after the series ended.
“Yeah, it was fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of competing against James. “It’s amazing what he’s doing out there at this age. It’s very impressive. It’s hard to put into words. He’s not very old in the grand scheme of life, but for the NBA it’s pretty old. It doesn’t seem like it out there.
“He was a force. He was the top of the scouting report all series. His size gave us issues at times, yeah he was impressive out there. I’m not sure we’ll see anything like that again, his longevity, his greatness for this long. It was super fun. Glad I got to get four wins.”
James was remarkable in this series, and was one of the only Lakers players to give the Thunder consistent problems in the four games. Austin Reaves caught fire in Games 2 and 4 but had down showings in Games 1 and 3, while Rui Hachimura punished the Thunder for leaving him open but didn’t provide much else. None of that compared to James’ impact.
Heading into an important offseason in which James, and many others, are unrestricted free agents, the Lakers can use this series to figure out who can be an impactful player against the best of the best. James certainly qualifies, even as he enters his 24th NBA season, should he choose to continue playing.
LeBron James noncommittal on future
As expected, James did not give a clear answer on his future immediately following the Lakers loss to the Thunder on Monday night.
He is going to take some time with his family to figure out what’s best for his future, and at age 41, after 23 years and entering unrestricted free agency, retirement seems like a more viable option than it has in any year prior. But there also is said to be mutual interest between James and the Lakers on a new contract.
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