If LeBron James is going to remind everyone that he's 41 years old and can't dominate every game of a playoff run like he used to, it's much more convenient to Lakers fans if that happens when the team is up 3-0 in a series.
That's what happened on Sunday night, as the Lakers dropped a game to the Houston Rockets and will head home with a 3-1 series lead. In the somewhat irritating (but also predictably flat) Game 4, LeBron shot 2-9, had nearly as many turnovers as assists, and didn't make a single 3-pointer. It was ugly. It was how you'd assume a 41 year-old in the NBA would always play.
Luckily for Lakers fans, that's not how their 41 year-old always plays... But it was, if nothing else, a reminder that James is going to have these games every once in a while, especially in the postseason, which becomes a war of attrition by the second round.
If a deep run for the Lakers relies on LeBron having a clunker every few games, that's fine. In Game 4 against the Rockets, with the stakes as low as they can be in a playoff game, it was actually the perfect time for that game.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder looming, though, LeBron — as unfair as it may be — can't afford any more of these games.
The Thunder do not care for the elderly
Okay, that is admittedly harsh, but the best team in the NBA isn't going to slow down or give the Lakers a chance to have a bad LeBron game, especially if Luka Doncic remains sidelined.
That's why (among other reasons) the Lakers really need to finish off the Rockets in five games. Letting this series drag on only hurts the Lakers and their elder statesman, making them play more games instead of being able to head to OKC with a (mostly) easy first round victory.
Every masterpiece LeBron puts together at this point in his career feels more improbable than the last, but it's also fair to expect performances like Game 4 about 20% of the time. If Luka Doncic returns for the start of the (presumed) Thunder series, LeBron having a bad outing every five games might not be a death sentence. If Luka isn't around, things might be doomed anyway.
For the time being, a bad LeBron game coming after three magnificent LeBron games doens't feel too worrisome. On to the next.
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