The odds do not necessarily favor the Los Angeles Lakers making another deep run in this season’s NBA playoffs — but if the Association continues to aid them in difficult circumstances, LeBron James could end up snagging an unlikely fifth championship ring this June.
The Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night were left outraged as the Lakers not only pulled out a vital road win, but did so with the help of a malfunctioning game clock that gave them additional time to play in the third quarter. It’s been said throughout the years that James “needs help” to win in difficult circumstances, but help in Memphis did not exactly come from his teammates or from embattled coach Darvin Ham.
LeBron James silently begs Lakers to give him help while sitting alone on bench
What happened in the third quarter?
During a standard shot-clock reset late in the period, the clock operator in Memphis accidentally reset both the shot and game clocks — a mistake that, somehow, no one at FedEx Forum seemed to catch in real-time.
Because of this, the third quarter was 66 seconds longer than it should have been, giving James and the Lakers more time to work with in a close game that the Grizzlies were threatening to win. The Lakers eventually won, 123-120, with James scoring a game-high 37 points in 41 minutes as opposed to 40 minutes.
Ironically, the Lakers were outscored 33-30 in the extra-long third quarter and only won the fourth quarter by two points. But the clock malfunction will do nothing to mute the perception that the NBA will on occasion covertly “help” James and the Lakers, as the league understands that this particular player being on this particular team has significant ratings potential at a time when many disenchanted fans are choosing to spend their time watching women’s basketball instead.
The Lakers’ victory brought their record to 46-35 and all but locked Los Angeles into the #8 seed for Play-In Tournament purposes. That means if the Lakers defeat the #7 seed — either the Phoenix Suns or the New Orleans Pelicans — LeBron and company will have a chance to avoid the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs proper.
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