There is no need to talk about perfection without seeing the moment when the Lakers legend LeBron James ended the illusion of Clippers in the Los Angeles classic, entering trance mode to devilishly release combustion and score five triples with which his team came back in the last quarter to win 116-112.
The victory was possible thanks to LeBron entering into mode “in the zone”an expression in English used when a basketball player goes into a trance and makes practically all of his shots. “It’s like you feel that everything you throw out goes inside”explained the player himself at a press conference.
With 11:45 left in the 4Q, the Lakers trailed 98-77.
Then LeBron TOOK OVER, scoring 19 in the quarter, including 5 triples, to lead the Lakers all the way back ‼️
Watch the takeover and the final minutes of the Lakers’ comeback W 🍿 pic.twitter.com/rFS7WKroZZ
— NBA (@NBA) February 29, 2024
LeBron dazzled with 34 points (13 of 21 in field goals, impressive 7 of 12 in triples), 6 rebounds and 8 assists, but the most spectacular thing was his incendiary last quarter with 19 points and a brutal 5 of 8 from the perimeter that woke up the Lakers.
Darwin Ham, a coach with the Lakers, tried to explain the 39-year-old’s superpowers. “He had his cape folded under his seat on the bench, I guess… He definitely put on the cape, played aggressively, got into a good rhythm. He’s been shooting extremely well all season.”praise.
Meanwhile, the Clippers coach, Tyronn Luewas surprised by James’ unprecedented feat: “When you’re winning by 21 points (in the last quarter) you can’t lose a game like that. I don’t think it’s happened to me since I’ve been a coach.”
It is the first time in his 21 seasons in the NBA that LeBron wins a game by coming back from 21 points in the last quarter. In addition, he was 40 points away from reaching 40,000 in his entire professional career in the NBA.
This clash was the last regular season clash between the Lakers and Clippers as co-tenants of the Crypto.com Arena, the court they have shared for the last 25 years and which was previously called Staples Center.
The Clippers, owned by magnate Steve Ballmer, will move next year to a new arena, the Intuit Dome, with a budget investment of about $2 billion.