LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers gave a great effort in Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it still wasn’t enough. James finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks, but the Lakers couldn’t hold on in the end, dropping Game 4 and now finding themselves down 3-1 in their first round playoff series.
It is a long and difficult journey to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, but LeBron knows it is possible as he led the most famous instance of this comeback in 2016. As such, it should be expected that the Lakers will turn to their leader about the mindset needed to complete the comeback and he has a simple answer.
When asked what he message he plans on giving the Lakers, LeBron noted that the most important thing is focusing solely on winning that first game, as nothing else matters if they can’t do that, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Obviously you don’t think about winning three. You think about just getting the next one. That’s the only thing that matters because if not, obviously the offseason begins. So it’s all about Wednesday. That’s what’s important.”
Obviously the Lakers have to win three straight games to win this series now, but James feels it is important not to think about it like that, but take it all one game at a time. The Lakers’ focus must solely be on Wednesday’s Game 5 and if they take care of business, then they can worry about the next.
LeBron has been unreal in this series, averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.3 blocks while shooting 50.7% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range, all while playing more than 40 minutes a game. But it will take more than just he and Luka Doncic’s efforts as the Lakers need contributions across the board.
These games have been close enough that the Lakers know they can beat this Timberwolves team and that belief is important as well. The Lakers can still save their season, but it starts with winning Game 5 and LeBron will make sure this team is locked in on Wednesday night.
LeBron James doesn’t believe he fouled Anthony Edwards late in Game 4
One of the key plays in Game 4 came late in the game as LeBron James seemed to strip Anthony Edwards with the ball bouncing off the Timberwolves star out of bounds and giving the Lakers the ball down one with under 10 seconds left. However, Minnesota challenged the play and it was overturned, also robbing the Lakers of their final timeout.
Afterwards, LeBron expressed his belief that he did not foul Edwards, saying that the hand is part of the ball and that play happens regularly in NBA games with no call being made. Unfortunately, that play was another example of just how thin the margins of error are in the playoffs and this one came at the Lakers’ expense.
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