At 38 years of age, LeBron James has achieved plenty of firsts lately. Now, he is looking to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the inaugural NBA Cup. But doing so might require him to remind everyone that he is capable of getting hot from 3-point land, despite his modest 34.5 career percentage.
James is doing his best impression of Steph Curry, widely considered the greatest shooter of all-time, in the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament versus the New Orleans Pelicans. The four-time MVP drilled three in a row from distance, per Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell, and scored 11 straight points overall to single-handedly spearhead an 11-3 Lakers run that gave them control of the contest.
His scoring flurry knew no limits and even included a jumper from the logo.
The team led 67-54 at halftime, with James having a game-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field to go with four assists. Taurean Prince has also been red-hot from long range, going 4-of-6 on 3-point attempts. Zion Williamson was perfect on the floor (9 points), but no one on the Pelicans reached double-figures through the first 24 minutes.
Realistically, LA should not be a favorite to win the NBA In-Season Tournament. Injuries to multiple important role players and the desire to stay fresh for an 82-game regular season and possibly a deep playoff run made it tough to envision the Lakers going full throttle.
But here they are in Las Vegas, one win away from advancing to the finals against the blossoming Indiana Pacers. LeBron James’ legacy is set, but he can join yet another exclusive club in his 21st season.