“I want to give it [Father Time] its first loss.” Those were the words of LeBron James about a month or so ago. Since then, while the team has faltered, The King has soared. Despite concerns about age, injury, and playstyle, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar continues to shatter expectations. And, he might somehow be getting better. With a ton of questions and rumors circulating, the matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers was of extreme importance. And, James came to play with the same mentality. Logging a team-high 25 points, to go with 8 rebounds, 7 assists,  and stifling defense, LeBron was phenomenal. However, the most impressive feat might have been one jaw-dropping highlight.

When the Lakers were making their run, an Anthony Davis steal off an errant pass found its way to a rushing 4x NBA MVP. The man who celebrated his 39th birthday a week ago would take off from the free-throw line for a monstrous dunk. It caught the eye of another James. Big Game James Worthy, was left speechless seeing the move. In the post-game discussion, he could quantify it in just one way. “That was the dunk of the century, man. 39 years old…That looked like Dr. J (Julius Erving) from the ’70s man. From the dotted line, Statue of Liberty dunk, and he threw it down hard.” 

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Dr. J was one of the pioneers of modern dunking. From the 360 to the windmill and of course, the Statue of Liberty dunk; Julius Erving spearheaded athletic finishing during the ’70s. The dunk that James Worthy was thinking of last night was first introduced by Erving during the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. Of course, he was announced Slam Dunk Contest champion for making the overhead dunk from the free-throw line.

Much like LeBron, Dr. J is also a great opponent to Father Time. In 2014, at the age of 63, the 2x ABA champion and 1x NBA champion was seen dunking multiple times in a YouTube video. But, it isn’t just an Erving-esque dunk from LeBron James that made the difference in this game.

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Instead, it was a fatal flaw for the Clippers that the Lakers were able to exploit. At least, according to Derek Fisher, that is the case. An errant Paul George pass led to the spectacular dunk by James. But that pass was part of a bigger picture.

PG, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden, all thrive with the ball in their hands in an isolation-heavy system. However, such an offense is directly in line with the defensive schemes the Lakers like to employ.

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Therefore. the Clippers’ biggest strength became their major flaw. With rumors of a potential Darvin Ham firing, could this game turn the Lakers’ season around? Or, as the 4x-NBA champion said, a step in the right direction?

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Behind his greatness, and a more concentrated effort from the team, how far could the Lakers go? Has the team finally found its footing?