Originally compiled from: LA Times
WRITTEN BY DAN WOIKE
原标题：LeBron James and the Lakers eliminate Grizzlies in a Game 6 rout
In the G6 game against the Grizzlies at home, the Lakers staged a lake madness, and finally defeated the Grizzlies by 40 points and successfully advanced to the next round:
James and the Lakers got the wins they wanted
The purple-gold jersey flashed in the Staples Center and LeBron James stood at the free-throw line at the other end of the court, immersed in the game and everything around him.
To his right, Kyrie Irving sits on the sidelines. In front of his left, Jacket Nicholson sat in his seat.
It must be the kind of night James envisioned when he joined the Lakers in 2018, with stars in the crowd, unbelievably high stakes from fans, and he and his team all in the spotlight.
Before the game, James greeted the two of them and hugged each other~
On Friday, it will all belong to him – attention, opportunity, moment and the team around him.
That's what James wants, and that's what the entire Lakers deserve.
In front of the audience and fans who received enthusiastic responses at every moment, the Lakers made it all the way to the second round, defeating the Grizzlies, second in the West, by a score of 125-85 in the first round G6.
They are the first 7th-seeded team to reach the second round of the playoffs since 2010. In Game 7 Sunday between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, the winner will be given a ticket to the second-round showdown with the Lakers.
Russell played the absolute protagonist of the G6
Dangelo Russell, the player once drafted by the Lakers to develop into the team's future, threw a jump shot that could cut through the ceiling. When Anthony Davis doesn't need to juggle the block, he covers the entire defensive box with his hands, like a suffocating bear hug. And James, he responded to all the fans. At G5, after James called himself "S-" — a four-letter term for a five-and-five night — James attacked the box and made it clear he wouldn't be forced to play outside the three-point line.
James scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting in 31 minutes, plus five rebounds and six assists, looking more like the seasoned James than the truly "old" guy Dillon Brooks called after the G5 game.
But unlike James' many other playoff games, the Lakers have the ability to take him off center stage without so much pressure, and there will always be teammates stepping up! G1, Austin Reeves returned home with the Lakers, and when he won the series in the opening game, he told everyone "I am the future LeBron!" ”。 G3, the Lakers' defensive energy crushed the Grizzlies. In Game 6 on Friday (Saturday Beijing time), the most lethal on the offensive end was Russell, not James.
He scored 31 points as a point guard for the Lakers, the highest in a playoff game of his career, after the Grizzlies limited his average to 13.8 points a year ago in the playoffs.
James refuses to miss the playoffs and won't become transparent.
G4's late rebound pushed the game into overtime, one of the defining moments of the series, and his all-round performance in Game 6 ensured the team could advance to the second round.
Anthony Davis, as he has done in every previous series, means everything to the Lakers' interior. He scored 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked five times on just nine shots. Throughout the series, Davis blocked a total of 26 times.
Those darkest moments are long gone for the time of NBA all-time scoring champion James in Los Angeles. In his first year, injuries cost his team a chance to make the playoffs. The championship with Davis was played the following year at Disney Park. More injuries and pandemic attendance rules mean their championship defense will revolve around with Davis on the floor.
And for most of the past two seasons, it all seemed too difficult, if not impossible, for James, and as an NBA player, the uncertainty of each day made it harder for him to keep fit and enough to put some frustration together.
After completely missing the 2022 playoffs, James and the Lakers looked lost for most of the season, reaching (and eventually surpassing) a 50% win percentage until the final weeks before the playoffs.
The Lakers are aiming for a championship
But in the comeback, the Lakers showed signs that this could be what they are: balanced, tenacious, focused, ferocious.
Everyone was involved, from Jared Vanderbilt's defense of Jay Morant, to James and Davis' reign in the final moments, to Dennis Schroeder's death entanglement.
Speaking about the 2-10 start of the season, coach Hamm said: "We're grateful. “...... I just know that if we can stick with it, that's enough. ”
The Lakers led by 11 points after the first quarter, led by 20 points at one point in the second quarter, and closed the door to the Grizzlies' playoffs this season with a 41-25 margin in the third quarter.
Morant scored just 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting, his lowest of all playoff games. The Grizzlies' other All-Star this season, Jalen Jackson Jr., has contributed virtually unobstructively on the offensive end in five straight games after scoring 31 points in the opener.
The Grizzlies shot just 30.2 percent from the field in the game, and the Lakers played a defensive masterpiece in the final game of the series.
"Every round, we're tiptoeing, not heel," Hamm said.
Even though the game was already in hand, the Lakers flew up to grab the ball, and Davis crashed into a seat near the Lakers' bench to regain an ordinary ball. Russell jumped off the bench and sprinted to help him stand up, while Davis raised his hands and the audience applauded.
It's a night of their own for the entire Lakers team, and this win will ensure they have more time to set records and continue the legend.
"It's just beginning."