No other NBA locker room has someone of LeBron James' stature in it right now. The Los Angeles Lakers are fortunate enough to benefit from that legendary presence in their own. JJ Redick knows it, and the second-year coach made sure everyone else did too after Game 6 was over.
Friday night was a successful one for the Lakers as they finally closed out the Houston Rockets following a dominant 98-78 blowout to win the series 4-2. James led the way. In his never-ending fight against Father Time, LeBron poured in 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
James was a tone-setter for his team. His intensity helped the Lakers get right on board with the task of putting boot to neck on a team that hung around for longer than they should have in this series. Redick was quite appreciative of everything LeBron did to steer the ship for Los Angeles.
"Literally every single guy was going, ah, ah, ah [goat noises]. It speaks to his greatness. ... The leadership aspect that I talked about, he just has this ability to set the tone for the entire group, and he did that again tonight. Our guys responded, and I'm really happy for him."
LeBron James' legendary status still commands all-in authority in Year 23
There are just certain guys who command respect with who they are and what they have accomplished. James undoubtedly qualifies for that category.
To parrallel him to another legendary player from his own respective sport, who remembers what Tom Brady did for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? When Brady arrived, that locker room was immediately filled with self-belief due to the presence of their new quarterback alone. They went onto win that year's Super Bowl.
This is not a proclamation of the Lakers heading for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. However, it is easy to contrast the type of buy-in that comes from having that type of legacy in the locker room.
James has done just about everything there is to do in the NBA. When you have that guy just a few spots down from you, it matters. When that player is still performing at an elite level, it makes it easy to follow him when the lights are bright and he's locked in.
LeBron did not have the perfect game on all accounts. However, the intangibles that were brought to the entire Lakers team are hard to miss. Redick certainly did not overlook them. Neither did any of his teammates.
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