Here`s an astonishing statistic: On Friday night, LeBron James reached the milestone of scoring 20 or more points in a single half for the 100th time in his playoff career. Considering this was his 290th playoff appearance, it reveals that over his 18 seasons reaching the playoffs, he has accomplished this feat in roughly one-third of his games.
While the term `insane` is perhaps overused in sports commentary, this particular stat truly warrants it. Hearing it mentioned during the broadcast, I honestly doubted its accuracy, assuming it must be an error. Yet, it`s verifiable.
Despite this extraordinary personal achievement, it ultimately wasn`t sufficient to secure a victory for the Lakers.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, instead, managed to spoil James` brilliant 38-point effort, clinching a 116-104 win in Game 3. Key to their success were career-best performances from Jaden McDaniels and another impactful showing from Anthony Edwards, who seems poised to potentially add a third all-time great to his list of playoff series victories in consecutive seasons.
Last year, Edwards eliminated both Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokić in back-to-back series. Holding a 2-1 advantage in the current series, he stands just two wins away from ending LeBron`s playoff run.
In Friday`s game, Edwards, who ended with 29 points, including five three-pointers, and also assisted plays leading to another 29 points, was instrumental in transforming a tie game with 4:19 left into a comfortable 12-point victory, contributing through scoring or assisting on all five of Minnesota`s crucial late-game baskets.
Out of a timeout, just as the Lakers seemed ready to take control, he sank a pivotal three-pointer that broke the 103-103 deadlock, arguably the most significant shot of the contest. Following that, he drove towards the basket and delivered a sharp pass to Naz Reid for a corner three, extending their lead to six points.
Concurrently, Jaden McDaniels appears to be elevating his status from a valuable contributor to potentially a future All-Star. While his defensive prowess is well-established, he followed up his 25-point performance in Game 1 (a then-playoff career high) by scoring 30 points in Game 3. Many of these points came from self-created opportunities, featuring finishes in traffic that resembled those of a high-level player.
The Timberwolves are proving to be a legitimate contender. Their defensive performance is elite. Naz Reid serves as an ideal big man for spacing in closing situations, a strategic move by coach Chris Finch who benched Rudy Gobert late in the game. The Lakers effectively neutralized Gobert by disregarding him in the paint due to his finishing struggles, which disrupted the offensive flow the Wolves might expect when opponents double-team Edwards. Edwards, however, effectively capitalized on the extra driving space created, successfully driving for two crucial plays that sealed the game.
In the NBA, especially during the playoffs, there are no wins based purely on effort or performance without the final score. Thus, Edwards and the Wolves undeniably emerged victorious in the Game 3 battle. Nevertheless, one could still argue that LeBron delivered the standout performance of the night individually.
Frankly, the constant commentary questioning how he`s still performing at this level at age 40 can become repetitive. Yet, it`s genuinely baffling how he continues to achieve what he does at this age. Furthermore, this isn`t just any ordinary 40 years; it represents 22 seasons as a primary player in the NBA, encompassing 20 consecutive playoff appearances where he has never missed a single game.
To reiterate, throughout nearly 300 playoff games in his career, LeBron James has never been absent. Not a single time. His physique, while meticulously cared for, has endured immense physical stress from every possible direction. Despite this, he remains capable of physically dominating opponents nearly half his age within the highly demanding and physical landscape of playoff basketball.
While LeBron may not possess the exact same athleticism he did in his prime, he remains remarkably close. He continues to execute powerful drives and finish above the rim despite contact, reminiscent of his time with Miami and Cleveland. Furthermore, he has developed into a reliable outside shooter. On Friday, he connected on five three-pointers as part of his 38-point performance, doing so efficiently.
“He was incredible,” Edwards commented on LeBron`s play. “He exhausted all efforts to try and guide [the Lakers] to a victory. He was attempting shots from what felt like miles away.”
It`s unclear if Edwards was referencing Yucatán, Mexico, or the small community of Yucatan, Minnesota, but regardless of the specific location, his point was clear: LeBron was launching shots from significant distance.
“He received a pass in transition, and as I was closing out, my thought was, `There`s no way he`s going to take this shot,`” Edwards recounted. “But he let it fly. Honestly, it was definitely enjoyable to witness his performance and compete against him tonight.”
LeBron`s performance wasn`t without its flaws. He missed a wide-open layup attempt and lost control of the ball, initiating a critical sequence with slightly over five minutes remaining that concluded with a McDaniels `and-one` score for Minnesota. His late three-point try that hit the side of the backboard marked the Lakers` final meaningful attempt.
Disregard those who focus solely on these negative moments. LeBron was truly outstanding in this matchup. While it`s tempting to declare the Lakers finished in this series, caution is advised. The Lakers` strategy, for better or worse, is structured around having the two most impactful players on the court.
On Friday, they effectively only had one player performing at that elite level, and yet they still felt the game was one they allowed to escape.
Indeed, historical data indicates that in a best-of-seven series tied 1-1, the team that wins Game 3 proceeds to win the series more than 70% of the time. However, if you haven`t yet grasped that standard statistics often don`t apply to LeBron James, you likely never will.
Jasper Hawthorne