The Lakers defeated the Hawks at home with a score of 119-102, and James set a new record by scoring over 30 points for the 563rd time in his career, surpassing Jordan to become the all-time leader. Notably, James has been in great form recently after some rest. In the past six games, he has averaged an impressive 30.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, despite being 40 years old. Most of these performances have come against strong opponents, such as scoring 32 points against the Kings, 31 against the Warriors, 38 against the Blazers, and 30 in today's game, with the Lakers winning all of these matches.
The only game in the last six where James did not score 30 points and the Lakers lost was against the Cavaliers, where he had 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Lakers managed to hold their own against the league-leading Cavaliers for three quarters but could not maintain it in the final quarter. Over the past period, the Cavaliers and Celtics have demonstrated that they are in a class of their own by playing against Western Conference teams. While the West has many strong teams and more playoff contenders than the East, the East is stronger in terms of overall strength. The West is evenly strong, while the East has three particularly formidable teams at the top.
The good news is that the Lakers have shown improvement this season, with a current record of 20 wins and 14 losses, compared to 17 wins and 17 losses at the same point last season. The team has made a significant comeback recently, starting from when Redick criticized the team's defense, calling it "a mess." Following this, the Lakers focused on improving their defense, which can be seen in Pelinka's decision to trade Russell for Smith, indicating a strategy of building a strong defensive lineup similar to the one from 20 years ago.
Sometimes, it's hard to predict how James will perform. At the start of the season, he appeared exhausted on the court, giving the impression that he might experience a sudden decline. Just when everyone thought James had finally succumbed to age, he bounced back at the age of 40. In the last two games, which were back-to-back, James scored 30 points in both. He shot a combined 28 out of 45, achieving a high shooting percentage of 62.2%, including nine successful three-pointers out of 15 attempts. James scored a total of 68 points, 16 assists, and six rebounds in these two games.
James is indeed a mysterious player; when you think he hasn't aged, he seems to falter, and when you think he's faltering, he proves himself again. In this back-and-forth, James has quietly brought the Lakers up to fourth place in the West and surpassed Jordan without much fanfare, surprising many skeptics. The Lakers' current approach seems correct; since promoting Christie to the starting lineup, the team's defensive performance in the backcourt has significantly improved. Christie is known for his fierce defense and can also contribute offensively, as seen in his 28-point performance against the Blazers. The bench includes players like Knickert, Smith, Milton, Reddish, and Hayes.
Reeves has also recently awakened, becoming a player who averages 10 assists with ease. In the last four games, Reeves has averaged 25.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 11.8 assists, with a shooting percentage of 46.5%, a three-point percentage of 37%, and a true shooting percentage of 60.6%. Interestingly, Reeves has taken over the primary ball-handling duties from James and now leads the team in average touch time with 4.4 seconds, compared to James' 3.96 seconds.
In terms of ball possession, Reeves accounts for 27.4%, Davis for 27.1%, and James for 29.8%. This means that Reeves is now at the level of the second-in-command in terms of ball possession and is close to becoming the main man. This change may signal that James is making new adjustments, delegating ball handling and shots, effectively halving the workload that was previously his alone. This shift benefits the team by reducing reliance on James and allowing him to focus his energy more efficiently. The strategy is becoming clearer, moving away from James doing everything himself.