"When it came time to win the game, LeBron James still made all the big plays" - Trevor Lane praises James' clutch play for the LA Lakers as the 4-time MVP marches on in year 19
LeBron James' performance, especially his clutch overtime scoring, in the LA Lakers' 124-116 win Wednesday night at the Indiana Pacers left Trevor Lane of the Lakers Nation podcast gushing.
Though he acknowledged James' game is changing as he closes on his 37th birthday later next month, Lane said, when James is needed to answer in key moments, the 17-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion still delivers.
"His game is changing as he's getting older, but again, when it came time to win the game, LeBron still makes all the great plays."
Lakers Beat Pacers In OT As LeBron Goes Off twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
With teammate Anthony Davis not playing, James had 39 points, six assists and five rebounds. Perhaps even more telling, of that season high in scoring, James had eight of his team's 12 points in the extra period, personally outscoring the Pacers, who totaled four. That clutch play secured the win for the Lakers (10-10).
LeBron James, the clutch master
James has posted the most clutches by any player since entering the league as the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft. He ranks third in NBA history, behind Hall of Famers Jerry West and Michael Jordan.
James has taken criticism for not being clutch, including a notable stab from Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen when he was asked to choose the best player between his former teammate, Michael Jordan, and James.
"When I look at LeBron, he's not what Michael was as a player. He's not even what Kobe Bryant was as a player. So, when you talk about trying to compare Michael's instinct, his ability to take over games, his ability to want to have the last shot, LeBron doesn't have that gene. That's not in him. Kobe has that gene. I see a little bit of it in Paul George. Kawhi (Leonard), (Russell) Westbrook. ... Not too many players go on the basketball court with that."
Nevertheless, James holds the record for three of the four most-clutch seasons in the league, with journeyman guard Isaiah Thomas' 2016-17 season ranking as the top most-clutch season in the league's history.
Here you go #NBATwitter
We're back at it again...
LeBron James connected on his 7th career go-ahead shot in the final 5 seconds of the 4th quarter/OT in his playoff career.
His 2 buzzer-beaters this postseason are 1 shy of MJ's career playoff total. https://t.co/Uh61h9WwsT
The four-time NBA champion has completed more shots to tie or win a game in the final seven seconds (eight). He has surpassed Jordan's record by two more shots and has the most postseason buzzer-beaters in NBA history (five).
These buzzer-beaters have come against the Orlando Magic (Game 2, 2009), Indiana Pacers (Game 1, 2013), Chicago Bulls (Game 4, 2015), Pacers (Game 5, 2018) and the Toronto Raptors (Game 3, 2018).