LeBron James' legacy is cemented in the history books, but before he hangs up his sneakers he wants to add one more accolade to the collection: first-ever NBA in-season tournament champion.
James had 30 points in just 23 minutes, and the Los Angeles Lakers routed the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89 to advance to the first in-season tournament final.
"The whole environment was amazing," said Lakers' center Anthony Davis. "It's the first time any of us have been in the in-season tournament, let alone the finals. The excitement around it, the atmosphere, the energy, the competitiveness it brings out in teams. I think it's going to be fun."
The Lakers improved to a perfect 6-0 record during the tournament and eliminated Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and the Pelicans in the inaugural December showcase.
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"The in-season tournament has been good to us," said James. "But we got to finish our breakfast on Saturday. That's the first thing."
Twenty years ago, nobody could have foreseen a tournament like this in the middle of the NBA season. That's how long LeBron has been in the league.
In fact, LeBron's NBA journey has lasted so long; he was in the same 2003 NBA Draft Class as current Pelicans head coach Willie Green. James was drafted number one overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Green was selected 40 picks later by the Seattle Supersonics, a team that is no longer in existence.
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Now, 20 years later, James and Green found themselves making history during the inaugural NBA in-season tournament. The Lakers will now have a chance to become the NBA's first-ever in-season tournament champion—not to mention will be a half-a-million dollars richer.
"I just know we came into this year wanting to build continuity and cohesiveness as quickly as possible," said Lakers' head coach Darvin Ham when asked if he had a conversation with his team about winning this tournament. "Everyone knew once they started announcing the prize money and that trophy, it fell right in the line with what we are trying to do. We're just trying to build a rhythm and be the best team we can be."
However, Tyrese Haliburton and the upstart Indiana Pacers still stand in their way.
The Lakers, one of the oldest teams in the NBA with the league's oldest player in LeBron James, will take on the 23-year-old Haliburton and the association's fastest and most efficient offense in Indiana.
"We're definitely going to have our hands full," said Ham of Haliburton and the Pacers. "We can't take them for granted by any stretch."
The atmosphere at T-Mobile arena was a stark contrast from the raucous quarterfinal environment at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The transition to the neutral site for the semifinals brought about a change of scenery and attitude. Unlike the first semifinal game between the Pacers and Bucks, which felt more like a glorified summer league game, there were more Lakers fans in attendance for the second game than any other fan base.
You wouldn't know it though by the blue-and-red painted court, and the fight night stage lighting inside T-Mobile Arena on Thursday night. A handful of celebrities and NBA Hall of Famers like Dr. Julius Erving, and Shaquille O'Neal were in attendance courtside, but the atmosphere still lacked the excitement of a traditional Lakers home game.
"One thing I learned is the funky courts don't bother us," said James of the environment on Thursday night. "My trainer mentioned to me today that I've never played in a Final Four in my career. I've been a part of single-elimination tournaments before, but never in the NBA with NBA players on the court. This is experience is definitely heightened."
Before the game, the NBA held a moment of silence for the victims of yet another mass shooting that took place down the street on Wednesday. A lone gunman shot and killed three faculty members on the UNLV campus, before police arrived and took the shooter down.
Once the game tipped-off it was all Lakers. The purple and gold built up a 13-point lead at halftime and increased that lead to 30 points midway through the third quarter thanks to individual runs of 7-0, 14-0, and 8-0.
The Lakers led by as many as 42 points in the fourth quarter, as they cleared their bench and rested their starters down the stretch. James did not play in the final 17 minutes of the game.
Davis had 16 points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks in three quarters of action. Austin Reaves chipped in 17 points off the bench.
Trey Murphy III had a team-high 14 points for the Pelicans, as the trio of Ingram, Williamson, and C.J. McCollum all struggled, scoring just 31 points combined.
On Tuesday after narrowly defeating the Suns in the quarterfinals, LeBron said that he knows Father Time is undefeated, but he's "trying to hand him his first loss." James proved on Thursday night he's still playing at an MVP level in his 21st NBA season, and will now try to hand the Pacers their first loss of the tournament on Saturday.
""Without question," said Ham when asked if LeBron James is the MVP so far this season. "With the way he's playing, and the level he's playing at? That's a no-brainer."
The NBA in-season tournament final tips off at 5:40PM PT on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
