AUSTIN REAVES IS HIM…And Apparently So Are Multiple Other Lakers Not Named LeBron As LA Takes Game 1 In Memphis
MOTHER OF GOD, AUSTIN REAVES!!
You obviously can't trust LeBron James in the clutch. He's never been clutch. Wouldn't know "clutch" if it smacked him in the face. His buddy Rich Paul started a massive sports agency and couldn't even spell the word right. That's when you know.
Good thing Austin Reaves is clutch, though. And how about Mark Jackson dubbing Reaves with a new nickname!? AUSTIN POWERS.
At least that's the first I've heard of it. Sounded like a moment of inspired sports broadcasting but if anyone wants to shit on that parade, feel free. Talk about the epitome of clutch. SHEESH.
Reaves was phenomenal in the final quarter, sparking the Lakers to a 15-0 run and a 30-11 edge to close. He almost single-handedly chased the Grizzlies out of their own arena. However, several other Lakers had huuuuuuuge afternoons.
One of LA's key acquisitions amid its trade deadline roster overhaul was Rui Hachimura. I don't think anyone could've seen this coming in his Lakers playoff debut:
Whaaaaaaaaaaaat!? Rui was out of his mind. The Purple and Gold needed every bit of his brilliance. They entered halftime trailing by six. LA's 3-point shooting was rough in the first two quarters, but as you can see from the stats, Hachimura heated the hell up from beyond the arc along with the rest of the victorious visiting squad.
Oh right. Then there's that dude Anthony Davis. He suffered what was believed to be a stinger in his right shoulder during the second quarter, per Woj. The AD of old probably would've packed it in, gotten treatment, rode the bench the rest of the way and watched the Lakers lose without him.
As I've touched on more than a few times throughout this season, though, this is a different Anthony Davis. He's turned into a competitive savage, a gritty, assertive, stone-cold killer. Just so happens he joined some elite company by grinding it out and continuing to punish the Grizzlies:
HIMOTHY status confirmed.
In all seriousness, you know that I know that "I'm him" is a wildly overused phrase, but I'm willing to make an exception for Austin Reaves. And for this blog at least, I'm running with it. Reaves is him. Rui was him on Sunday as well. AD is always kind of him when he's healthy and in attack mode.
You know how who else is HIM and has kind of been him for, oh, 20 years in the NBA? LeBron James.
Yup, he's still just kinda hanging out here.
Tough day for Lakers and LeBron haters. A long way to go yet in this series, but the Grizzlies got put in their fucking place and rightfully so. Ja Morant's hand injury that forced him to sprint to the locker room and miss the closing stretch is a bummer for any basketball purist…
I genuinely hope Ja is OK. Alright? He's a young guy who's still figuring his shit out, seems to have put some personal issues behind him for the time being, and is electric on the basketball court. It sucks to see him in this state.
Now that we've acknowledged that human element, I'm sure if Ja is too hurt to play going forward, LeBron haters will be tripping over themselves to discredit the Lakers if they advance past this round. IDK. I've seen the Grizzlies play too well too many times sans Ja to leave them for dead. Plus, Jaren Jackson Jr. lit up the Lakers for 31 points and pretty much had his way in the post with any Laker not named AD.
Credit LA coach Darvin Ham for the second-half adjustments and for his players tightening the screws on the defensive end. What a statement win to tip off the postseason.
Above all else, even though they're a No. 7 seed, this Lakers team looks mighty dangerous. And again, it's less to do with LeBron and more to do with how insanely impressive of a job the likes of Reaves and Rui did to rise to the occasion in such a hostile environment.
It truly is wide-open in the Western Conference. Don't let these Lakers and LeBron gain too much steam!!
Hit me once more time, Austin "Powers" Reaves. YEAH BABYYYY.