In the fourth quarter of Game 4 in the first round of the playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers needed answers to avoid a 2-2 series tie heading back to the FedEx Forum.
And to no surprise, it was LeBron James that chipped in late to lead L.A to a Game 4 overtime victory. Individually, James became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a postseason match.
It marked the first 20-20 games of James’ career, and it came on a night when his team needed it.
LeBron wasn’t the Lakers’ leading scorer though as that was Austin Reaves, who finished with 23 points, four rebounds and six assists.
Even though Reaves is just in his second year after originally going undrafted, it is clear that he has earned a lot of trust from his teammates, especially James. With Reaves’ recent emergence, James has been able to play off the ball more to conserve his energy.
While James was happy that the Lakers took a 3-1 lead, he was especially glad to see Reaves thriving in his first postseason series as the two have grown close the last couple of seasons.
“These are moments that I love. I love the postseason,” James said. “Being a part of a lot of games. Just love being able to make plays and be out there with my teammates to give them experiences that they never had before. This is Austin’s first playoff series, and he was talking after the game, and he was just talking about how much he loved this. Like he said this is the greatest stakes he’s ever been a part of like basketball-wise. He said something else, but I can’t repeat it. And that brought a lot of joy to me.
“That I can be in a position where I can be a part of someone’s experience. Like this is the greatest thing basketball-wise you’ve ever done. That’s pretty cool, too.”
With a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Grizzlies, the Lakers look to close the deal on Wednesday to maximize their opportunity at a chance to rest and prepare for a potential Golden State Warriors or Sacramento Kings opponent in the second round.
As long as James continues to put his love for the game and joy for his younger teammates like Reaves on display, the Lakers faithful can sit back and watch another classic postseason run for one of the greatest ever to do it.
James not getting caught up in Brooks’ trash talk
The storyline surrounding Grizzlies wing Dillion Brooks and James has entertained not only the fanbases of both teams, but the NBA as a whole.
Playing his role to the best of his ability, Brooks has set the tone of physicality, trash-talk and competitiveness on and off the court with his preferred matchup in the four-time NBA champion.
When James had a chance to respond and clash back at Brooks’ playoff series trash-talk though, the King chose not to respond and get caught up with the noise surrounding the former University of Oregon guard.
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