They clawed. They scrapped. They refused to give up.
The team that was counted out has reached the second round of the playoffs after clinching their first-round series against the Rockets with a98-78 win in Game 6on Friday in Houston.
What they went through over the last month transformed them, making them ready for their date with the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Before everything went wrong for them, they had no chance.
After the Lakers roared to a 3-0 series lead, the Rockets won the next two contests. Momentum had wildly swung. The Lakers had to win in Houston or else they’d be facing elimination.
Oh, just theLakers’ reputationandLeBron James avoiding a dent on his legacy. No team in NBA history had ever blown a 3-0 series lead.
The Lakers, who aren’t known as a great defensive team, held the Rockets to fewer than 80 points for just the 10th time in a playoff game since 2000.
Deandre Aytonand Marcus Smart were bulldogs, preventing the Rockets’ scorers from getting hot.
As for James, he wasn’t about to let the Lakers — or himself — free fall into infamy. He met the moment with the perfect combination of poise and ferocity, single-handedly outscoring the Rockets in the second quarter, 14-13.
As the Lakers huddled after the game, everyone bleated to honor him as the greatest player of all-time (the GOAT). The 41-year-old James had just led all scorers for the fourth time this series, finishing with 28 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
