HOUSTON — There were a lot of things that could’ve credibly been going through LeBron James’ mind in the final minutes of Game 6 Friday night. He sat alone on the end of the Lakers’ bench while players from both teams went through the final minute of pregame warmups and took a deep breath.
He stared out at the court with intent, but his focus went inward. This wasn’t the time to think about the future, about whether or not he’d keep pushing himself physically and mentally through a 24th season next fall. This wasn’t the time to think about the past, about the growing possibility that his 23rd season could end with his team becoming the first in league history to take a 3-0 lead then squander it.
The Rockets entered Game 6 with momentum. They’d entered it with bravado, Jabari Smith Jr. saying that the Rockets were “obviously” the better team after winning just once in the first four. They entered Friday with answers to the Lakers’ plans, Ime Udoka saying his team had discovered tendencies they could exploit.
As the clock ticked down and the crowd noise ramped up, James thought of none of it. He’d experienced so much and seen even more over the 297 playoff games he’d already played.
So before Game 298, he calmly inhaled, exhaled and absorbed the environment.
He was in the moment. It’s been a goal he’d set for himself this season, to allow himself more time to recognize the moments he was experiencing with the knowledge that these chances were coming to an end. It meant showing gratitude to fans in Toronto, emotion to the ones in Cleveland. It meant cherishing the on-court time with his oldest son.
And Friday, it meant soaking in all the atmosphere, all that noise and energy. And then shutting it the hell up.
Hours later, he was the last Lakers player to leave the court, his arms in the air as he made his way off the Toyota Center floor. The Lakers had just demolished the Houston Rockets 98-78. He led all scorers with 28.
Fourteen of those points came in the second quarter when Houston, as a team, scored 13.
“He’s a f—— psychopath,” Austin Reaves said of James.
For the 41-year-old who already sits at the top of so many NBA leaderboards, what he and the Lakers accomplished Friday was worth celebrating. Whether the Rockets had Kevin Durant or not, the Lakers weren’t supposed to win this series. They were underdogs at tip off in each of the four games they won. They didn’t get Reaves back until Game 5 and weren’t close to having Luka Dončić available. The Lakers’ success this season came at a time when those guards, with James’ blessing, took the lead. With them hurt, James grabbed hold and extended it.
James was orchestrating things throughout the round. The series opened with him picking apart the Houston defense with his passing, getting his teammates in an early rhythm. In Game 3, he hit the biggest shot, a game-tying triple that forced overtime. His fourth quarter in Game 5 gave the Lakers a chance before he slammed the door in Game 6.
In a vacuum, the averages are impressive: 23.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists over 38.5 minutes per game. At 41 years old, those numbers seem like typos.
“I think at this point, I mean in my career … I talked about just living in the moment a lot more and being OK with celebrating the small victories,” James said. “And I think we should be proud of and the way we handled this.”
Friday, James was the key piece in the Lakers’ win against the younger, faster-healing Houston Rockets. He wasn’t the only one. Rob Pelinka’s biggest offseason adds, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, led a defense that held Houston to just 78 points, just the fifth time since 2020 a team’s done that. Rui Hachimura, timid at times in Game 5, quickly stepped into shots in Game 6 and made five 3s. And Reaves, who smoked a pair of layups in his return, did all his damage in the paint, attacking the rim with good burst despite having Amen Thompson on his hip.
And JJ Redick and his coaching staff, despite having a roster without the ideal defensive pieces, held Houston to fewer than 100 points four times.
“Part of my existence in life is gratitude. I’m so grateful to represent the Lakers. I’m so grateful for our players. I’m so grateful for my staff,” Redick said after winning his first playoff series as a coach. “Doing this, it’s such a collective effort. I wish people understood how many people put their heart and soul into something just to try to win a basketball game. It’s awesome.”
But this triumph begins with James, his ability to instill belief in his short-handed team, the force and focus he created from the Lakers’ first possession, a bully-ball layup he scored, the consistent attention he paid to the details until he walked off the floor with the Rockets and their silenced fans defeated.
“That’s the mission,” James said of that quiet. “The mission is to go out there in a hostile environment and be able to execute the game plan and come out victorious.”
For his teammates, James continues to create the moments that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. Reaves, his longest tenured Lakers teammate, said that everything he’ll ever accomplish in the NBA, from working his way up from an undrafted player on a two-way contract to a star on the Lakers, will be lower on the list than winning as James’ teammate.
“Top of the list,” Reaves told The Athleitc. “… After the game I came over and I was like, ‘You’re literally incredible.’ Like, this isn’t me like, I’ve never asked him for anything. I’ve never … I just said, ‘Thank you.’ I want our relationship to be genuine and I told him like, real s—, thanks for letting me be a part of this.
“‘Cause it’s like every single night it’s something new and he’s literally incredible.”
As the Lakers gathered in the locker room after Game 6 and gathered as a group, the lights unexpectedly went dark as the room filled with players doing their best goat impressions, the bleats reserved for James when he’s reminded him he’s one of the greatest of all time.
“To me, he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player,” Redick said. “You can argue all you want, and I really don’t care to postulate on who’s the greatest of all time. But he’s one of, if not the greatest of all time. And for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it’s really, it’s baffling in some ways. The leadership aspect … he just has this ability to set the tone for the entire group. And he did that again tonight and our guys responded.
“I’m really happy for him. I’m really happy for him.”