The crowd rose as it recognized the moment. Late in overtime, the Lakers clinging to a three-point lead against Memphis, LeBron James gathered the ball on the left side of the floor. Dillon Brooks, the latest in a long line of LeBron irritants, who last week dismissed James as “old” and vowed not to respect him until he scored 40, pressed up against him. James squared up. He drove left. He took four dribbles, dipped his shoulder into Brooks and, with Xavier Tillman closing, muscled a righthanded runner off the backboard.
Two decades into an unparalleled career, James still has the ability to make you marvel. At 38 years old, James played 45 minutes. He scored 22 points. He pulled down 20 rebounds, collecting his first career 20–20 game. He handed out seven assists. He took two charges on Ja Morant in the fourth quarter. Minutes before obliterating Brooks, James finessed a layup over the fingertips of the NBA’s best shot blocker to send the game to overtime en route to a 117–111 victory that gave the Lakers a 3–1 series lead over the Grizzlies.
“Nothing short of amazing,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
Said James, “Whatever it takes for the team to be successful.”
This isn’t normal. None of it is. A 38-year-old shouldn’t be the best player on an NBA floor. A 38-year-old is a coach. A front-office official. At best, he’s a role player off the bench. James shouldn’t be winning battles against Jaren Jackson Jr. for rebounds. “You get an opportunity to get scrappy with [Memphis], you go and do it,” James said. He shouldn’t be drawing offensive fouls against one of the NBA’s most athletic players.
“He still has that passion,” Ham said, “that grit to want to be on top.”
The Lakers needed it. All of it. This game was compelling, but it wasn’t pretty. L.A. led by six after the first quarter. By the middle of the second, it was 15. The Lakers looked strong. Memphis looked rattled. But quickly, the game turned. The Grizzlies cut the lead to two at halftime. In the third quarter, they seized the lead. Anthony Davis (12 points) was struggling. Desmond Bane (36 points) caught fire. With five minutes to play, Memphis led by seven. The Lakers, said Ham, were “flailing” offensively.
Suddenly, they woke up. D’Angelo Russell got it started. He knocked down a three. Then another. Then another. Russell scored nine of his 17 points in one minute. “He put us on his back offensively,” Ham said. Ham recalled something Russell had said to him earlier in the season. I can miss five in a row, but then I can make 10.
“If DLo doesn’t play the way he played,” said Ham, “we don’t win this game.”
In the final minute, the game was close. Bane scored with six seconds left to give Memphis a two-point lead. Out of a timeout, James got the ball. He dribbled into the paint. Jackson was waiting. In practice, James works on three layup packages. The first, or tier one, is for shots under the rim. The second, tier two, is for when he needs to use the middle of the backboard. The third, which James employed against Jackson, is when he needs to go high off the backboard. James recalled using this shot in the 2017 Finals against the Warriors, where he needed to score over Kevin Durant. It worked. Against Jackson on Monday, it worked again.
“Should have blocked it,” Jackson said. “I knew it. Missed it.”
In overtime, James closed the show. Brooks is a sturdy, good defender. James bulldozed right through him. After the whistle blew and the shot bounced in, James turned to the crowd, flexed, beat his chest and roared. It was the first 20–20 playoff game by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal in 2004. On the TNT broadcast, O’Neal said, “Dillon Brooks said you don't respect somebody until they get 40. LeBron got [22] and 20 tonight, that's 40.”
It was brilliant. And exhausting. At least it should have been. James played more minutes than any of his teammates. Asked how he summoned the energy, James shrugged. “You just dig deep, understand that you’ll be able to sleep at some point. Just not right now,” James said. “This is not the time to rest or forget about an assignment. You’ll have more than enough time after the game or next day to rest and decompress as much as possible. I just try to dig deep and make plays.”
James then smiled and added, “I love the postseason.”
Not just for himself, but also for his teammates. After the game, James commiserated with Austin Reaves. Reaves, James said, told him the playoffs were the greatest thing he has been a part of as a basketball player. “That brought a lot of joy to me,” James said. “I can be in a position [to] be a part of someone’s experience. That’s pretty cool to me.”
With more to come. The Lakers have a commanding 3–1 series lead. Memphis is frustrated. Morant declined to speak to reporters after the game. Brooks, too. A 51-win regular season is one loss away from being vaporized.
“We’re just going to keep fighting,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.
Indeed, the Grizzlies won’t quit, but the Lakers may just be the better team. And they most certainly have the best player.
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