LeBron James is battling time in more ways than one. His 23-year defiance of Father Time is well-chronicled, and the undefeated conqueror of all athletes seemingly struck a blow at the four-time NBA MVP this week with rumors of a possible retirement growing louder.
But there’s a more immediate battle playing out concurrently. James and his Los Angeles Lakers almost certainly cannot advance deep in the postseason in their current state. With Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves recovering from injuries, James is the lone star left standing in Los Angeles, and just asking him to beat the Houston Rockets four times singlehandedly is a bridge too far — even with Kevin Durant dealing with a knee injury.
James, right now, is fighting for time. He’s doing everything in his power to keep the Lakers alive long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Whether or not they can do so remains to be seen. The Grade 2 hamstring strain keeping Dončić out typically requires more than a month of recovery. Reaves, sidelined with a Grade 2 oblique strain, is on a 4-to-6 week timetable. Eventually, without the two of them by his side, James, 41, will lose this micro battle to Father Time. He is not his 2018 self. He cannot reasonably be expected to will his teams through entire postseasons in his 40s.
But every game he wins, starting with Saturday’s Game 1 107-98 upset, is another few days he’s bought for Dončić and Reaves and another few percentage points of likelihood that they might be able to make it back onto the court in time to offer some support. A championship run — as James has made so clear he’s wanted all year — just isn’t in the cards. But a respectable showing, a chance to sneer at Father Time one more time, is a possibility James is still very much fighting for.
We figured he’d do so in the way that he used to, that his path to staving off the metaphorical reaper here meant turning back the clock. In his last three regular-season games before the throwaway season finale, James averaged 28 points on just shy of 13 assists and eight rebounds per game. He took 18.3 shots per game, just shy of his playoff averages in both his eight-year Lakers stint and four-year Miami Heat run. Though no longer the unstoppable force of nature he was at his peak, James appeared ready to uncork a vintage postseason performance. When asked what the Lakers needed out of him with Dončić and Reaves sidelined, he responded, simply, “everything.“
His Game 1 performance against Houston was marvelous. It wasn’t “everything.” He finished the night with 19 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and a block, and led the Lakers with an on-court point-differential of plus-11. He was spectacular, but he was measured. He took only 15 shots. Since joining the Lakers, he has taken 15 or fewer shots in just two other playoff games decided by single digits. His defensive lift was relatively light.
The Lakers hid him on Jabari Smith Jr., knowing that he rarely attempts to create his own shots, and Houston’s laughably bland offense did the rest to keep James relatively fresh. He switched and made plays when he needed to, but the key here is that he didn’t need to do all that much.
His teammates and coaches did their parts, of course, but more than anything, it’s a testament to the degree of control James is still able to exert over games mentally. He knew exactly how to ration his energy, when to push and when to react. Of those 13 assists, just three came with James as a pick-and-roll ball handler. His only true layup came as a transition trailer in the final minute. Otherwise, he was backing down smaller players in the post and making jumpers. There weren’t many hard drives to the basket. He didn’t even make a free throw. He spent the bulk of the game operating with his back to the basket, reading the floor and making the right play.
Can he still scale into “everything” LeBron? The regular season data is inconclusive. Those three great games in April came against terrible teams. He’d happily settled into a quieter role when the Lakers were healthy and thriving in March. We’re probably going to find out how far he can take this as the series progresses. The Rockets didn’t have Durant in this game. None of their remaining players had especially good games. There will be adjustments. There will presumably eventually be Durant. Realistically, the Lakers are probably going to need at least one “everything” game from James to win this series, or at least last long enough to potentially get Dončić or Reaves back.
Realistically, the odds of either returning are slim, making this particular round of his bout with Father Time a likely loss (the Lakers are still +185 underdogs at DraftKings even after winning Game 1). The “everything” games are, at best, meant to be a rare treat at this stage. If blemishing that undefeated record means consistently playing like a 25-year-old into his 40s, well, James is probably going to lose on that front as well. We’re talking about someone who once averaged a 33-point triple-double in the NBA Finals. That was never going to remain eternally sustainable.
But Game 1 against Houston is a reminder that James has come as close as feasibly possible to at least forcing a draw against a previously unbeaten foe. He will eventually age out of playing in the NBA. Though based on what we’re seeing now and the rumors of the past week, that will likely happen several years after he actually retires. As long as he does decide to keep playing, though, he has achieved a level of mastery over the mental component of the sport that makes him, in a sense, immune to the ravages of time.
James is not physically the same player he once was. Yet there doesn’t seem to be a realistic degree of physical decline capable of rendering James anything less than, at the very least, a winning basketball player. He’ll be able to make the passes he made on Saturday until he’s 50. He doesn’t need a burst to bully smaller defenders in the post. His understanding of how to manipulate and ultimately undo opposing defensive principles, not just as a passer but as a conductor of possessions, is eternal.
James may not be a superstar forever. He may not have access to those “everything” types of games much longer. But what he did against the Rockets was timeless.