When Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic were smote out of the first round of the NBA Playoffs (barring pathbreaking Spanish advances in hamstring science) with muscle injuries, it felt like a death sentence for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The injuries occurred right as the team was beginning to look like A Problem, making them instead a wounded quarry to be hunted. They were able to limp into the relative safety of playing a team coached by the offensively befuddled Ime Udoka and anchored on the court by the generally befuddling Kevin Durant-Alperen Sengun duo, though even with home court advantage, they were clearly up against it. Only LeBron James stood healthy for a Lakers team otherwise completely bereft of offensive creation, and only weeks after advancing the Lakers' title chances by finally accepting a downshift in his role, the now-venerable graybeard of the league would have to wind back the clock and be the best player on the court in order for his team to have any chance. Ask any expert, consult any betting market, watch any Amen Thompson highlight reel: that did not feel likely going into Saturday's Game 1 matchup in L.A.
But unc was not crucified. Despite the predictably glaring disparity in athleticism, the Lakers put forth an impressive team performance to win Game 1, 107-98. Luke Kennard led the way with 27, Kevin Durant was a surprise scratch, and the Lakers' bench was so thin that JJ Redick was forced to play Bronny James for a spell in the first half. That stretch was an unmitigated disaster, but it ultimately did not matter, as LeBron James Sr. was masterful in his 38 minutes.
His individual box score—19 crisp points, 13 assists, and a game-high plus-11—starts to tell the story, though it's the stunning team stats that really indicate what a masterful string-pulling performance James had. L.A. shot 61 percent from the field and made 10 of their 19 three-pointers. They were absolutely pounded on the glass, surrendering 21 offensive rebounds, yet they still held Houston under 100. The LeBron James who diced up Houston was not the unstoppable scorer we've seen for over two decades, barreling into the lane, running pick-and-rolls, and destroying mismatches at every opportunity. This was more like LeBron as Nikola Jokic, a hub in the center of the offense, around which the variously skilled Lakers' role player would orbit.
If anything, 13 assists understates how skillfully he dissected the Rockets theoretically imposing defense. Luke Kennard is a gifted shooter and a niftier operator than he gets credit for, but he is not scoring 27 points without James both drawing tons of attention and also piloting him like a buzzy little drone. This was maybe his best pass of the night, though all it amounted to in the box score was an Amen Thompson block.
Speaking of Thompson, one huge reason why Lakers skepticism persisted and probably still should persist despite a big Game 1 win was that James would be guarded a lot by Thompson. He is probably the most bouncy athlete in the league, and he'd theoretically get to feast on someone 18 years his senior. Thompson was good on Saturday, with seven assists, three steals, four offensive boards, and a team best plus-minus of zero in 43 minutes. Udoka also didn't really use him on James, opting instead for beef and leaving Thompson free to roam. He's a weird player to fit into a halfcourt offense, especially one without the organizing force of an infinite supply of Kevin Durant pull-ups, but the theory of Thompson is that he more than makes up for that in transition and General Scariness.
Thompson may be the twitchiest player in the NBA, but James is one of the best athletes of all-time in any context. He chased Thompson down and spiked his shit.
The game didn't quite get tight in the fourth quarter, but there was a stretch where the Rockets pushed as hard as they could. During this bit, James operated out of the elbows and on the block, calling for it with his back to the basket and running methodical, slow offense. It was an amazing sight to see him matched up against Jabari Smith, Thompson, and Tari Eason, all rugged, nasty defenders, and see James casually put his ass into them and grind his way directly under the basket. Over and over again, no matter who was on him, he would get to the cup on pure strength and cause problems. If the Lakers offense was stuck in the mud, Redick would call for James to get the ball in the post. The bucket on the following play is impressive, but watch how much attention has to be paid to James. The entire Rockets defense is sucked into the middle, watching him work. Luke Kennard does not touch the ball on this play, but you can get a sense watching this how he got to 27 points.
One critical challenge of being 41-years-old and having to contend with a bunch of ornery players way younger than you is that the effort to bring it four, let alone seven, times is relatively much harder. There were a lot of warning signs for the Lakers here—the offensive rebounding gap, Durant's return, their crazy turnover problems, the need to play Bronny James—but on a basic level, LeBron James has proved that he still has it. It's up to the Rockets to figure him out, not the other way around.
