The Los Angeles Lakers won this season's midseason championship on December 10, Beijing time, defeating the Pacers with a victory. Although Anthony Davis performed well in this game, cutting down 41+20 against the sky, in fact, the MVP of this mid-season tournament is James. His impact in the game goes far beyond what the stats can indicate.
Bushy Eyebrows excelled on the inside, but there was a context behind this that couldn't be ignored: James was frantically attracting the bag and creating scoring opportunities for Bushy Eyebrows. At a critical moment in the fourth quarter, James made two brilliant passes in a row to give the Lakers the lead. What's more, when the Pacers tried to fight back, James once again drew the defense and sent a wonderful pass to his teammates to help stabilize the situation.
Throughout the game, James' intangible role was far more important than statistics. Despite his many points, most of them came from assists from James and other teammates, so it's fair to say that James has a much bigger role than it seems. In addition to giving the most important assist to the thick eyebrows, James' plus/minus is also the highest in the game.
Although the Lakers have a super triumvirate, including James, Bushy Eyebrows, and Reaves, all of whom have scored more than 20 points, James has the highest plus/minus, which is also a statistic that cannot be ignored. James' impact on the court is irreplaceable, and his presence brings tremendous stability and leadership to the entire team. The victory in this game was based on his all-round contribution. After the game, James's role throughout the game was self-evident.
Zhan Huang scored 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 turnovers and 5 fouls, thick eyebrows grabbed 41 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks, and Reeves contributed 28 points. Although the Bushy Eyebrow's stats look impressive, especially his 14-point performance in the fourth quarter, it was clear that James was the better player throughout the qualifying round. So, whether it's the stats or the merit of leading the team to a mid-season tournament, the MVP award should actually belong to James.
After all, as the boss of the Lakers, he has a lot to do. However, Bushy Eyebrows will need to maintain his steady play. If the Lakers really want to win a championship this season, the thick eyebrows will need to pick up the lead in future games like this one, rather than just exploding in one or two games. It's very important that James can't be expected to support the team alone.