LOS ANGELES — “It’s becoming regular, right?” D’Angelo Russell asked, reflecting on LeBron James’ latest defeat-defying feat on Wednesday night, when the Lakers rallied from 21 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Clippers, 116-112.
“How can you be surprised with some of the things he does?” Russell asked again, numb, apparently, to a 39-year-old teammate outscoring the opposition 19-16 by himself in the fourth quarter of a rivalry game.
“It’s just him being him,” said Austin Reaves, who surely meant: Him being Him.
I’m not saying the Lakers are taking James’ greatness – hard-earned, he reminded everyone postgame Wednesday: “I wanted to be great, and you can’t be great if you don’t punch your clock in” – for granted.
But I’m saying they better not.
With the game on the line, and the season perilously in the balance every time out for the 32-28 Lakers the rest of the way, James went superhero on Wednesday. “Sicko mode,” Anthony Davis called it. Vintage LeBron, somehow not surprising and plenty astonishing at the same time.
James rained in five 3-pointers in the final period. Shot 5 for 7 overall in those final 12 minutes – on the floor for the duration, his breathers coming when Clippers coach Tyronn Lue called timeout to try to stem the bleeding.
James controlled the game, a maestro manipulating the action, getting the defender he wanted on him over and over again. And then, when the inevitable double-teams came, he punished them, finishing with four fourth-quarter assists. “Picked ’em apart with the pass,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham, like Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers – easier done than said for only the most talented among us.
On top of all that, James guarded Kawhi Leonard, effectively putting his substantial 6-foot-9, 250-pound body between the Clippers’ Big Fun(guy)demental and the basket, mucking up his process.
“He had the cape tucked under his seat on the bench, I…
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