LeBron James played well enough in Game 1 with a stat line of 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists in L.A.’s 128-112 win over the Grizzlies on Sunday.
But it was young stud Austin Reaves who stood out with an explosive performance, pouring in 23 points on 61% shooting including a self-led 9-0 run late into the game. After the final buzzer, Reaves was so impressive that not even King James could hold back from giving him the ultimate praise.
“I knew from the first practice that he wasn’t going to be a two-way for long … I’ve been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players, and I know the type of players that fit with my game, and I knew Austin would be that right away.”
The craziest part of this whole thing is that Austin Reaves started on a two-way contract with the Lakers and had to prove himself in the summer league before finally being given a full NBA contract.
Now, he’s outscoring alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the NBA playoffs.
It’s truly an incredible story for Reaves, and for the Lakers as well, who went from 2-10 on the season to three wins away from making the Conference Semi-Finals.
LeBron Is In Full Playoff Mode After Up-And-Down Season
James didn’t have his most dominant performance today, but he was pretty effective on the court and he played solid defense for most of the game. On paper, the Lakers may not be as stacked or as deep as some other West teams (including the Grizzlies) but the leadership and experience of LeBron is clearly making a big difference and he has his team’s mind in the right place heading into Game 1.
“It’s 16 teams in the postseason, and there’s opportunity for all 16,” James said. “Everyone’s record is 0-0 now and we’re playing against a very worthy opponent and we respect them a lot. So we just got to be ready for the challenge.”
It’s pretty easy to say that the Lakers are legitimate contenders now. Besides an impressive record after the All-Star break, they have guys who aren’t afraid of the moment and will step up when their number is called.
After everything he went through this year, LeBron must be thankful to finally have the help he needs to be successful.
Source: fadeawayworld
