The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as the champions of the first-ever NBA Cup. Anthony Davis orchestrated a monstrous performance in the finals, accumulating 41 points and 20 rebounds. LeBron James contributed with 24 points and 11 rebounds. However, despite their performances, it is easy to claim that the game could have slipped from the Lakers’ hands if  Austin Reaves had not stepped up.

Before the game, Reaves was reportedly “bedridden” due to illness. Despite his health challenges, he decided to size up and play through the sickness. Remarkably, Reaves played a critical role off the bench for the Lakers, ultimately scoring more points than LeBron James himself.

LeBron James compares Austin Reaves to MJ

After the victory, LeBron James jokingly posed a question, resting Austin Reaves’ gripping final outing beside Michael Jordan’s flu game. The humorous remark from James came as Reaves was addressing the media in the locker room. “Who had the better flu game: AR or MJ?! It’s up for debate!” he reportedly said.

As the Lakers’ struggled early in the season, Austin Reaves embraced a bench role. Interestingly, even though he doesn’t start the games, his on-court minutes remain relatively consistent. Moreover, the Lakers continue to entrust him with the responsibility of closing out games and making pivotal plays.

In the In Season finale, Reaves put on a remarkable performance with 28 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in 28 minutes. Furthermore, he played a crucial role in helping the Lakers maintain their dominant position in the first half, contributing 22 points in that stretch alone.

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Reaves’s performance marked the highest point total in a half in Reaves’ career. Moreover, he notched the 22-point half with an outstanding shooting efficiency of 77.8%.

Looking back at Michael Jordan’s flu game

“Probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I almost played myself into passing out just to win a basketball game,” remarked Michael Jordan. The memorable game dates back to the 1997 NBA Finals, where a flu-ridden Jordan amassed 38 points, five assists, seven rebounds, and three steals. Moreover, his efforts came to secure a 3-2 series lead for the Chicago Bulls against the Utah Jazz.

Over the years, the game has become synonymous with the iconic ‘flu game’. However, in his Last Dance documentary, Jordan clarified that he was suffering from food poisoning and not the flu. Jordan got sick after eating a pizza the night before the game.

While this revelation removes the flu aspect from Jordan’s tale, it also eliminates the debate of who had a better flu game. Regardless, Jordan’s stint still stands as one of the most extraordinary individual performances in NBA history.

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With that being said, it does not chip away anything from Austin Reaves’ stellar performance. Displaying a superstar-like prowess, he delivered timely buckets against an offense known for going bucket-for-bucket. Furthermore, just like MJ, his showdown came during a ‘must-perform’ situation where all the cards needed to be on the table.