LeBron James said the Lakers brought a “Game 7 mentality” to the court Friday night as they eliminated the Grizzlies with a 40-point win, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. It was only Game 6, so L.A. had two chances to close out the series, but the players were determined not to return to Memphis. The Lakers took control right from the start and held a 17-point lead at halftime.
“We understood that we had an opportunity to play in front of our fans, and we wanted to try to end it tonight,” James said.
James had promised to play better following a subpar Game 5, and he kept his word, hitting seven of his first eight shots on the way to 22 points, along with six assists and five rebounds. The victory gave James another career milestone, tying him with former Laker Derek Fisher for the most playoff series wins with 40.
“He’s playing with a sense of urgency,” coach Darvin Ham said of his 38-year-old star. “He knows there’s only so many more of these (postseason runs) he’s going to be able to participate in. So he’s definitely been in the moment.”
There’s more on the Lakers:
- L.A. seems almost unbeatable when Anthony Davis is at the top of his game, states Jim Alexander of The Orange County Register. Along with his 16 points and 14 rebounds on Friday, Davis blocked five shots and affected numerous others. He showed throughout the series that he can dominate the game on defense even when his shot isn’t falling. “No matter what I’m doing, I want to be able to leave a mark on the game defensively and that can kind of fuel my offensive game and the team’s offensive game, and also fuel the defensive end for us as a collective,” Davis said. “So you know, I just (think) next play mentality and just keep going and keep playing and the rest will take care of itself.”
- The Lakers can expect strong competition for Austin Reaves when he becomes a free agent this summer, McMenamin adds in another ESPN story. An unidentified Western Conference executive said Reaves would be a good fit on “literally every team in the league” because of his age, skills and salary. The Lakers hold his Early Bird rights and are limited to an $11.4MM offer in the first year of a new contract, but Reaves expressed a desire to stay in L.A. “I would love to be here my whole career,” he said. “Just the way that the fans treat me, the love they have for me, as an undrafted player, it’s kind of like they raised me type of vibe. … It feels like it’s meant to be. It feels like this all happened for a reason and this is where I should be.”
- Kyrie Irving was among the fans at courtside for Friday’s game, McMenamin tweets. The Lakers reportedly had interest in acquiring the impending free agent last summer and again before he was traded to the Mavericks in February. Irving left in the third quarter because of the lopsided score, but not before visiting with James’ close friend and business associate Maverick Carter (Twitter link).
I can see Kyrie going to LAL. As long as Lebron is there, management will cater to the players. Other teams are less likely to have patience for Kyrie
Austin’s leverage will come in the form of a player option year 3 of a new ext
I’m more worried Rui slips away for a big bag to someone like Hou/SAS…… I think it be a mistake as Phil Handy would be better for him long term on the court and in the wallet. I think Rui knows Handys worth and stays tho in the end
Sillivan 2021 nba Re-draft
1. Austin Reaves – undrafted, 50, 40, 90 (almost)
2. Josh Giddey – 2nd best defender in the draft, stats 17, 8, 6
3. Evan Mobley – best defender in the draft
4. Scottie Barnes, 3rd best defender in the draft, stats, 15, 8, 4
5. Cade – wisdom rank 2 compare to Reaves wisdom rank 1
6. TREY MURPHY III
7. QUENTIN GRIMES
Reaves should help the Lakers out with a discount now and they give him a bigger deal when possible down the line
Reaves was a nice find. He’s a big IQ player. who can shoot.
Kyrie pining to be with Bron …….
shameless … lols
Poor Luka…
Mark from Cuba wasting assets on Kyrie…
#FreeLuka
It was a dumb trade . Cuban do you need help? I can help in one off-season
Kyrie will sign with LA next year and leave the Mavs with nothing!
The refs gave the Lakers the series. The NBA is so rigged. The Kings should of swept the Warriors already, Adam Silver should be sued
I’m no Laker fan by any stretch, but last night’s game was kind of like watching middle school kids trying to play with the adults. Davis, Lebron, Deangelo….but yeah, it was the refs
How do the refs give anyone a win by 40pts? Lol.
Memphis talked a lot, then wilted. They’re overrated.
I doubt LFG refers to Friday’s game. The past two months, the referees have been sending a parade of Lakers to the free throw line while not calling anything against LA. By all rights, the Lakers wouldn’t have even made the post-season. But Silver knows that LA is where the money and glory are and he follows like a lamb to the slaughter. NBA is the equivalent to pro wrestling.
Rigged. Such a lame take.
Bahahahahaha…
Hi Dillon, when are you going to talk to the media?
Kings are winning this. Warriors had their shot. Not winning a gm7 on the road ….
Lakers definitely have a shot against either. But they need a consistent Russell and AD. Those two have to show up in some way. Every game. To help out Bron. Imo Russell has to step up. Show you want to be a Laker for life. I think he’s a wild card.
I hope the Kings do move on…
After all these years the fans deserve more than a 1st round exit..
This was a nice copy/paste job from ESPN, but at least a there’s comments.
GS is in a downward spiral and Sac is on an upward trajectory. Tough to call the next series when both teams are capable yet inconsistent. LAL in 6 again.
Don’t worry everyone. Silver wants Celtics vs Lakers and Lakers winning with Denver coming close. MVP will be jokic. It’s already in the script