Is this finally the end for LeBron in LA?
Meanwhile, Spida was putting on a show in Cleveland.
So we gotta start in LA where the Lakers were desperately trying not to get swept by the Thunder. And guess who was in the front row eagerly waiting for that to happen? Yup, Dillon was in the building to support his Canadian teammates and root against LeBron obviously. Anyway, the Lakers opened the game strong, with Austin Reaves doing most of the damage offensively. Austin led LA to a 5 point lead after one, shooting a perfect 3 for 3 from the field. However, OKC managed to squash their lead into pieces just a few minutes into the 2nd quarter… Ajay Mitchell ignited a 10-0 blitz at the start of the 2nd to go from -5 to up by 5 in a span of 2 minutes. On the other end, the Lakers drought without a single basket lasted for an entire 6 minutes. Meanwhile… McCain caps off a huge 17-0 run by the Thunder which got them up by 12 points. This felt like the beginning of the end for the purple and gold, but they refused to let go of the rope. Slow and steady, the Lakers somehow got within 4 points before hitting the locker rooms. But coming out of it, here comes the electric Thunder guards once again.
Geez, with so little room SGA swishes the shot over 2 defenders… That’s just unguardable! Both him and Ajay Mitchell executed an additional 14 to 7 run to get their lead back to double digits in no time. But again, facing a big deficit against the absolute best defense in the league, the shorthanded Lakers showed great resiliency, and mounted another comeback.
Papa James connects for a couple of 3’s to go along with that monster dunk by Hayes over Chet Holmgren, and all of a sudden, LA is back within 5 la points. Down 3-0, with zero expectations, they could’ve just laid down and died, but they refused to do so. And not just that… WOW! Jaxson Hayes posterized Holmgren again, and the Lakers got the lead for the utmost pleasure of the crowd. So, entering the final period with a 4 point lead, the entire city of Los Angeles was hoping they could at least extend the series for 1 more game. Hayes with the rejection on one end and James with the layup on the other got the fans buzzing. And Reaves just added fuel to the fire when… AR beats the buzzer with this rainbow 3 over Caruso. All 3 of him, Rui and LeBron got it going on the offensive end in the 2nd half, scoring above 20 points each on a combined 51% shooting from the field. But can they hold up when it matters the most? Offensively they were right there with OKC, but the thing that’s been killing them all series long has come back to bite them when it mattered the most. Turnovers. And can someone please explain to me why Hayes is in the corner guarding Mitchell while Reaves is left in the rays vs red sox paint with these 2 giants? With back-to-back buckets, Holmgren gives his team a 6 point lead, but this thing is far from over because… My goodness! Marcus Smart who’s been struggling all night long with only 2 points and 6 turnovers, gets the and-1 to drop in the clutch to put LA up by one! Let’s go! However, they still need a stop. But look at Jaxson Hayes once again wondering what to do while Chet is underneath the rim with LeBron… What are you staring at, go there and help for Christ sake… Holmgren scored the last 6 points for the Thunder and now they have the slight edge. So, this is it. Either score on the next possession or pack your bags to Cancun… Bron did everything right but just missed the layup and Alexander wastes precious time off the clock before getting fouled. He sinked both free throws to put his team up by 3 with his 35th point of the night. Still, AR can tie the game perfect match season 4 if his 3 goes in… Reaves’ 3 came close, but didn’t fall through… Just like the Lakers season. The magnificent month of Luka Madness got them the 4th seed in the West. But the reigning champs were a mountain too steep to climb without him on the court. A summer filled with big decisions looms ahead of them, while the Thunder continue their trip to defending the crown. They’ve become the 1st champs since the 2018 Warriors actually to surpass the 2nd round. And SGA told us the key for their success. After balling out in game 3, Ajay Mitchell was even better last night scoring 28 points on 63% efficiency.
Moving on from one Mitchell to another, as the Cavs needed a big game from their leader Donovan as well, if they wanted to tie the series against the Pistons. But he was nowhere to be found in the 1st half, scoring only 4 points on a miserable 1 of 8 shooting from the field. And Cleveland needed to be happy to trail by only 4 points heading into the break.
#nbaplayoffs #lebronjames #lakers
