LOS ANGELES — Seems unlikely, but there are still milestones left for LeBron James to reach.
In a 20-year career that saw James guide three franchises to championships and become the NBA’s career scoring leader, he had never had 20 rebounds in a single game. Not the regular season. Not the postseason.
Not until Monday. Until the Los Angeles Lakers needed his muscle, experience and intuition. Until they needed James to bring their cheeky young opponents, the Memphis Grizzlies, to the brink of elimination in the first round of the playoffs.
“These are the moments I love,” said James. “I love the postseason.”
James’ 117-111 overtime win Monday night gave the Lakers a 2-10 start to the season and looked like they were on the losing side heading into the trade deadline, but beat the Grizzlies to 3-1. led by The best team in the Western Conference.
The Lakers are in this dominant position because James found a way to overcome fatigue and add to his lore in the final minutes of Game 4. He grabbed the rebound, took the charge, and made a driving layup with 29.1 seconds left in overtime, pounding his chest and screaming at the crowd.
“He understands timing, all timing,” Lakers coach Durbin Hamm said. “He knows what happened yesterday and what will happen tomorrow, which makes him even more grounded in today and in this moment.
“All of his travels. I have. That’s what you saw.”
With 22 points and 20 rebounds, James became the first Lakers player to record 20 points and 20 rebounds in the playoffs since Shaquille O’Neal in 2004. In this game, he broke the playoff record set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1973.
James’ presence is one reason it was clear from the start of the series that the Lakers were no ordinary No. 7 seed. Their record didn’t reflect who they were after Anthony Davis and James were available, even if they weren’t completely healthy.has improved significantly since then Rebuild Roster at Trade Deadline.
Conversely, the Grizzlies limped into the postseason. Their starting center, Steven Adams, is out with a knee injury, and Brandon Clarke, another player who has added size to the lineup, is also injured.
Memphis lost Game 1 at home. But the famously outrageous guys didn’t feel humiliated by their early defeat. One of his Grizzlies players, Dillon Brooks, attacked James directly on and off the court.
During Game 2, Brooks said he called James “stupid” for getting his fourth foul.
“I don’t care. He’s old. You know what I mean?” Brooks replied.
“I’ve been waiting for it,” he continued. “I thought he was going to do it in Game 4, Game 5. When I fouled the fourth time, he wanted to say something. He should have said it earlier. But I did. Poke bears, I will respect no one until they come and give me 40.”
Developing a rivalry with James could be an easy way for other players to siphon off some of his spotlight. James knew it, but he didn’t want to get involved with it.
James was asked several questions about Brooks’ comments after practice last week, but he dodged them. He then ended his press conference prematurely before being tempted to say something that could escalate the feud. He said he prefers to tell stories through play.
However, minutes before Game 3, James approached Brooks. There was no audio, but the camera caught the exchange, Video circulated on social media.
“There was nothing private about it,” James said after the game, revealing he wasn’t really ignoring what Brooks said. I like it.”
After the first quarter of that game, the Lakers led 35-9, sending fans into a frenzy and making Memphis bravado look ridiculous. The Grizzlies never recovered from a bad start, despite Ja Morant scoring 45 points. Sent off for the foul, putting an early end to any fight that might have been brewing between them.
Still, it didn’t all come easily for the Lakers on Monday.
They had a 15-point lead in the second quarter, but Memphis closed out the first half with a 14-1 run and the Lakers led by just two at halftime. Morant dunked the ball through the paint as time expired to give Memphis a two-point lead.
Late in the game, however, the Lakers got important contributions from several players. Davis made his play important defensively in the closing stages after a quiet game to his three quarters. D’Angelo Russell made his three 3-pointers in his 1st minute of the 4th quarter to pull the Lakers off his 7-point lead.
But it was James who made the biggest contribution as he overcame fatigue in the closing stages.
“It’s just a matter of digging deep and understanding that one day you’ll be able to sleep. Not right now,” James said, looking exhausted after the game. And the next day there will be plenty of time to rest and decompress as much as possible.”
It’s hard to get rest in the playoffs. The Lakers and Grizzlies had more leeway in their schedules than some teams, with his two days off between his first three games, but now he’s getting more and more high every other day. I am playing stakes. The Lakers’ first chance to end the series comes Wednesday in Game 5 in Memphis.
“The closeout game is always the hardest game in the series,” said James. “It’s the most tiring.”
