On December 30, Beijing time, the Lakers challenged the Grizzlies on the road. Although James played well and slashed 37 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, morant, the core of the Grizzlies, was not far behind, scoring 41 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists in the whole game, leading the Grizzlies to reverse the victory over the Lakers.
In the final 10 seconds or so of the game, the Lakers trailed by 3 points at 99-102, and James made a fatal mistake in passing the ball, directly by the Grizzlies to complete the steal. Westbrook had no choice but to take foul tactics, and the Grizzlies Bain made 2 free throws to seal the win.
After the game, James spoke to reporters about fatal mistakes in the final moments of the game. James said: "Yes, it looks like Russ [Russell Westbrook] tried to cut to the bottom line at one point, and then he stepped back and I was already jumping in the air. I had slipped on my feet before I broke through, and that made me lose my rhythm. ”
Could it be that Westbrook's act of pretending to cut empty and then running back to the three-point line misled James? I don't think James is right about this. When James jumped to pass the ball, the Lakers had less than 3 seconds left in this round of offense. And Grizzlies center Jarren Jackson Jr. has returned to the basket, and Westbrook will not have the space to shoot even if he cuts in empty. And since the attack time is about to arrive, even if Wei Shao receives the ball, there is no time to deal with it!
More importantly, the Lakers were three points behind at the time, and James felt very good in the 3-pointer of the game, shooting 8 of 14 from the field. I believe the Lakers teammates all think James will pick a three-pointer. Wei Shao's false empty cut + back run is also to run a 3-point opportunity. James' idea of wanting to pass to the inside line for 2 points can't be wrong, but it's definitely not a good choice.
Of course, James did have a bit of bad luck at the time, slipping under his feet when he broke through, resulting in losing the rhythm of handling the ball. If James hadn't slipped under his feet at the time, I think James would have chosen to shoot himself and shoot a three-pointer!