LeBron James helped lead the LA Lakers to a 117-111 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 4 on Monday night to control the series 3-1.
“First Things First” host Nick Wright praised James’ clutch gene following his performance:
“LeBron James in two different ways found a way. The first way is the game-tying layup. Critical, buzzer-beating, clutch shots, no player in league history, other than Michael Jordan, has a quarter of the resume of LeBron James.
“The other thing he did that reminded me – not the same stakes – of a different oddly great Laker performance was the rebounding. Game 7, 2010 Finals, Kobe Bryant had the second-most rebounds of any game in his career.
“I’m going to find a way to help my team if I can’t do it the traditional way. LeBron did it through rebounding, through defensenand one turnover. It was one of the most unique performances I’ve seen from a great player ever.”
Check out Nick Wright’s full comments on LeBron James’ performance below:
James finished with 22 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks while shooting 8-for-18 from the field, 1-for-7 from 3-point range and 5-for-7 from the free-throw line.
While the Lakers struggled at times, they finished strong to take control of the Western Conference first-round series. Game 5 will take place in Memphis on Wednesday.
How have LeBron James’ teams performed with a 3-1 series lead?
LeBron James has had a storied NBA career that is now in its 20th season. There are not many situations that James has not seen. While he helped orchestrate arguably the greatest 3-1 comeback in league history, James has found himself on the better side of a 3-1 series on 16 previous occasions.
James’ teams have never lost any of the 16 series in which they led 3-1. Furthermore, of those 16 opponents, only four teams made it to Game 6, and none have made it to Game 7. James has eliminated 12 of the teams in five games and the remaining four in six games.
While the Memphis Grizzlies finished with the NBA’s best home record this season, the Lakers have already been able to win one game in Memphis. They will look to close out the series on Wednesday by doing the same.
