Swanson: Can LeBron James pull of his second-greatest playoff feat? - BERITAJA

The move this Lakers’ play took, it should spell down arsenic 1 of the franchise’s awesome what-ifs, coulda-woulda-beens, we’ll-never-knows …

Shared regret for a legion of Lakers fans who were, for the afloat 15-2 period of March, vibing pinch their team, screaming excitedly for illustration 6-year-olds and riding difficult connected the MVP run way for Luka Doncic.

But past things sewage twisted — Doncic’s people 2 hamstring strain and Austin Reaves’ people 2 oblique strain — and now it should beryllium obvious: With 2 of their 3 champion players sidelined indefinitely, we should expect the Lakers to unopen the book connected this play soon, unless …

Unless LeBron James could propulsion disconnected the second-greatest feat of his 23-year career.

Unless he could transportation the Lakers past the heavily favored Rockets successful a best-of-seven bid that starts Saturday astatine Crypto.com Arena.

Unless the Lakers’ past opinionated superstar — successful what could beryllium his past guidelines connected this squad aliases successful this league, nary 1 really knows — could clasp the doorway agelong capable for Doncic and Reaves to retrieve and reenter the fray for Round 2.

Yes, the Lakers are leaning connected a 41-year-old who started the play sidelined because of sciatica.

Their play rests wholly connected the wide shoulders of the team’s consenting 3rd wheel.

It’s each up to the feline who capped the regular play by earning his 70th convention subordinate of the week nod, who has won 4 NBA titles and 3 golden medals, but who wouldn’t person been capable to decorativeness the first information past postseason if it had taken the Minnesota Timberwolves much than 5 games to hit the Lakers. Recall, James suffered a people 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament successful his near knee successful the deciding loss.

So you shouldn’t clasp your breath. But you besides shouldn’t count retired LeBron; the kid from Akron has beaten the likelihood before.

He would show you he’s been beating them the full time, coming from wherever he started to wherever he is now, a billionaire hoops player-slash-businessman, he’s scored much points than anyone, ever. He makes history each clip he steps connected the court, including sometimes pinch his boy Bronny.

If the celebrated meme is to beryllium believed, moreover LeBron can’t judge this is his life.

LeBron James gets past Sacramento’s DeMar DeRozan for a reverse dunk.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

He does, however, judge he’s the G.O.A.T.

Said truthful successful a 2018 section of ESPN’s “More Than An Athlete” arsenic he reflected connected starring the Cleveland Cavaliers backmost from a 3-1 bid shortage to hit the 73-win Golden State Warriors successful the NBA Finals 2 years earlier: “I was like, ‘That 1 correct location made you the top subordinate of each time.’”

No squad had won much regular-season games than Stephen Curry’s squad successful 2016. And nary squad had rebounded from a 3-1 shortage successful the title information until LeBron’s Cavaliers. That was mostly acknowledgment to his back-to-back 41-point efforts successful Games 5 and 6, and his gathering the infinitesimal successful Game 7, erstwhile he scored 11 of his 27 points successful the 4th fourth and had the iconic, series-saving chase-down artifact that group up Kyrie Irving’s game-winner.

A beat-up, fourth-seeded Lakers squad beating the ascending, fifth-seeded Rockets successful the first information won’t apical that. Nothing will.

Nor will it make a quality successful the awesome G.O.A.T. debate; if that 3-1 comeback didn’t do for you what it did for LeBron successful your individual pantheon of apical players, there’s nary constituent having the conversation.

But winning this bid against an athletic, physical, agelong Rockets squad that has won 9 of its past 10 games? Slot that successful arsenic the second-most awesome accomplishment successful James’ decades-long career.

Creating a existent problem for Houston and doing it without Doncic, who had 36 points and 40 points, respectively, successful the Lakers’ about caller victories against the Rockets?

Rebounding from dreadfully depressing wounded news to sound retired the NBA’s champion rebounding team?

Nothing but the 3-1 comeback would travel close. This would beryllium much astonishing an accomplishment than his different 3 championships, including the 1 pinch the Lakers successful the challenging confines of the Orlando bubble.

It would rank higher than LeBron’s 45-point detonation to prevention the Miami Heat from elimination against the Boston Celtics successful 2012, aliases the crippled successful which he scored 29 of the Cavaliers’ past 30 points to topple the top-seeded Detroit Pistons successful the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. Or immoderate different awesome triumph connected which your dart mightiness land.

It would beryllium that monumental of an upset. That improbable an outcome. That epic.

And that’s why almost nary 1 extracurricular of the Lakers believes successful them.

Lakers guardant LeBron James starts a accelerated break against the Spurs.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

All six of CBS Sports’ experts picked Houston; NBA.com has the Rockets winning successful 5 games, the Athletic has it happening successful six games. Eleven of ESPN’s 12 prognosticators went pinch the Rockets, and the betting sites each person them arsenic dense favorites, pinch DraftKings favoring Houston by 4.5 points successful Game 1 — successful Los Angeles.

Let’s beryllium real, logical thought portends the obvious: It’s a wrap.

Unless …

Unless James could juke Father Time and propulsion disconnected different odds-defying dormant assistance for the ages.