The semifinals of the first-ever In-Season Tournament were held in Las Vegas, where James put on a show for the audience.
On Thursday, after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament by a score of 133-89, LeBron James made sure to remind all of us that “It’s still December,” but he certainly did not play like it was any other regular-season game. James was on a mission from the very beginning, playing with the same passion and precision that we have witnessed during numerous peaks of his renowned 21-year career. This time, he was guiding the Lakers to the title game of the In-Season Tournament, which was played on Saturday in Las Vegas versus the Indiana Pacers.
James concluded the game with an impressive scoring performance of 30 points, eight assists, and five rebounds while shooting 9 of 12 from the field. These are certainly impressive stats, but they are not particularly remarkable when compared to his prior achievements. The thing that made this game stand out from others was the fact that he was able to rack up those totals in just 23 minutes, or to be more precise, 22 minutes and 32 seconds. This was made possible by the enormous early lead that the Lakers had acquired.
James made history by being the first player in NBA history to record at least 30 points, five assists, and five rebounds in a span of 23 minutes or less. This accomplishment occurred just a few weeks before James turned 39 years old. James’s performance was nothing short of miraculous, as he did not commit a single turnover and finished with a plus-36 box score, which was the highest of the game.The previous week, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time minutes leader (regular season and playoffs combined). This comes after James had previously surpassed Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time points leader during the previous season. James’ record book contains far too many accolades to name here, but it is absolutely astounding that he is constantly finding new ways to make history in his 21st season. James has won a record number of awards throughout the course of his career.
He is going to make an effort to continue doing the same thing on Saturday, when the Lakers compete for the first ever NBA Cup.
“It’s still December, so I’m not getting too crazy about the whole thing,” James said to TNT on the floor after being victorious on Thursday. Despite the fact that it is still December, the In-Season Tournament has certainly been a wonderful experience. One of our goals as a team is to improve each and every game that we play, each and every quarter, and each and every possession that we have. Therefore, we have yet another chance to carry out that activity.