LeBron’s 20-20 “pretty cool, I guess”
For some players in the NBA, setting records, personal or otherwise, is just the standard - like LeBron James’ 20-20 to put the Lakers up 3-1 over Memphis, for example.
Even the greats surprise themselves sometimes. When a reporter asked Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James if he ever amazes or surprises himself, he responded bluntly: “Yep.”
Prompting that question was LeBron’s 20-20 in Game 4 of their playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies. It was the first of LeBron’s career, the first for the Lakers, and made him the oldest player (38 years old) to achieve it in NBA history.
LeBron the legend
It was an intense Game 4 between the Lakers and Grizzlies that went into overtime. With less than 30 seconds left in OT, it was LeBron’s layup that put the Lakers up to come back and take the 117-111 win and make it a 3-1 series lead for the Lakers.
“When my teammates told me I had 20 and 20, I had no idea I had 20 and 20,” said LeBron. “It’s the first time I’ve done it in my career. I’ve done some pretty good, cool things in my career, but I’ve never had 20 and 20 before, so…that’s pretty cool, I guess.”
Ah, these NBA players and their “whatever, no big deal, I just set a record, just another day in the life” attitude. Thanks to LeBron’s efforts, the Lakers were able to take that win and put them up 3-1 in the series against the Grizzlies. Now, they just need one more win to move on to the Conference Semifinals.
The Lakers and Grizzlies will play Game 5 on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Grizzlies territory at FedEx Forum.
“The closeout game is always the hardest game of the series,” said James. “It’s the most tiring one. It’s the most brutal one. And we better be ready for it. And I think we’ll be ready for it.”