LeBron James reminded the basketball world on Saturday night that he’s still King. LeBron dropped a triple-double on the Denver Nuggets in a 117-107 Game 5 victory to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals. He finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, while shooting an efficient 15-of-25 from the field (and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe).
“My shoulders are wide enough to carry a lot of load, but my mind is stronger.”@KingJames dropped 38 PTS, 16 REB & 10 AST to advance to the #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/aXrkOcREI1
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 27, 2020
According to @EliasSports LeBron James improves to 38-10 (.792 win pct) all-time in closeout games.
That is the best record by a player in NBA postseason history (min. 25 games).
James is the first player to reach the Finals with five different head coaches in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/JHhmbthlSi
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 27, 2020
LeBron James clinched his 10th #NBAFinals appearance tonight, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10), Sam Jones (11) and Bill Russell (12) as the only players in NBA history to appear in at least 10 NBA Finals! pic.twitter.com/uKz92qgu0u
— NBA (@NBA) September 27, 2020
LeBron took things to another level down the stretch, with 16 points scored in the fourth quarter, including this dagger three:
BRON. CLOSER. 👑 pic.twitter.com/bxlaTeSVsP
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 27, 2020
There were questions about how deep the Lakers would go in the playoffs, particularly with some doubts about their depth. But they have LeBron and Anthony Davis, and in the end, that may be all they need- especially if LeBron can elevate his game to his prime-level ways like he did in Game 5.
And because of LeBron and AD, the Lakers will be favorites in the NBA Finals, whether that’s against the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat.
