\u201cWe executed the game plan,\u201d said James, \u201coffensively and defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
What a start to this series for James. He scored 19 points in Game 1, adding 13 assists. In Game 2, he was more assertive. He attacked the rim, scored off post-ups and made 40% of his threes. With a minute to go and the Lakers up five, James burst past Tari Eason, collected a bounce pass from Marcus Smart and slammed home a dunk that officially put the game out of reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s remarkable, more so when you consider who he is doing it against. James is nearly twice the age of Houston\u2019s best defender, Amen Thompson. In his first NBA game, in 2003, he lined up against Jabari Smith Jr.\u2019s dad. Houston has been physical with James, sending waves of defenders to wear him down. More often, they are the ones looking gassed at the finish.<\/p>\n
Durant missed the series opener with a knee injury. He was back out on the floor in Game 2<\/a>, renewing a long-standing rivalry. James and Durant first competed in the postseason in 2012, when James\u2019s Miami Heat defeated Durant\u2019s upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant got his revenge five years later, with Golden State, beating James\u2019s Cavaliers in back-to-back NBA Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n James relishes these moments. He calls it \u201can honor\u201d to play against Durant, a 37-year-old star winning his own battle with Father Time. \u201cI don\u2019t take that for granted,\u201d James said. Indeed, these matchups seem to light a fire under James. In the second quarter, James barked at Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn after knocking down a three in front of him. In the third, he blew past Durant and threw down a reverse dunk.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even know what that was about,\u201d said James, laughing. \u201cI got to go sit down somewhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n LEBRON DRIVES AND THROWS DOWN A REVERSE WINDMILL SLAM \ud83d\udca5<\/p>\n LAKERS LEAD IN Q3 IN GAME 2! pic.twitter.com\/nsEBV5AozP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Down Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves, James needs help. Luke Kennard was the co-star of Game 1, scoring 27 points. In Game 2, Kennard chipped in 23. Smart was the breakout star in this one. Smart scored 25 points. He was 8 of 13 from the floor, including 5 of 7 from three-point range. In the second half, he hounded Durant.\u00a0<\/p>\n Said coach JJ Redick, \u201cSmart had a killer game tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n James has had some memorable battles with Smart, an ex-Celtics guard who often lined up against him in the playoffs. It\u2019s earned Smart a healthy amount of respect. Smart, James said, \u201cis battle-tested \u2026 he\u2019s not afraid of the moment.\u201d There\u2019s a level of communication that can only exist between two players steeped in playoff experience. \u201cI can look at him and he knows what the hell I\u2019m talking about,\u201d James said. \u201cHe can relate to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch James play and you wonder\u2014what is still fueling him? He\u2019s won four championships, made 22 All-Star teams and earned four MVPs. He owns most of the NBA\u2019s all-time records. On Tuesday, he added another, passing (who else) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the highest-scoring playoff game for a player 41 or older.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s simple, James said. It\u2019s the playoffs. It\u2019s this.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how many more opportunities I got to play in the postseason in my career,\u201d James said. \u201cBut s—, I live for this moment. I live for the postseason. I\u2019ve been doing this since I was 21. I think my first postseason game was 21, so 20 years. I know I\u2019ve missed it a couple of times, but from that moment at 21, that first game, I made my mark and for 20 years I\u2019ve been thinking about the postseason.\u201d<\/p>\n This one just got interesting. The regular-season-ending injuries to Don\u010di\u0107 and Reaves was supposed to be a death blow to the Lakers\u2019 playoff chances. But L.A. has a commanding 2\u20130 series lead. Reaves has begun his return-to-play protocols, Redick told reporters on Tuesday, while Don\u010di\u0107 is not far behind. A first-round return may still be unlikely. But if the Lakers can advance to the second round \u2026 look out.\u00a0<\/p>\n Who knows what can happen. Late in the fourth quarter, the Crypto.com Arena showered James with an MVP chant. He won\u2019t win the award this season. He won\u2019t win another one again. But there is still more for James to accomplish. The greatest career in NBA history isn\u2019t finished yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n More NBA From Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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