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LeBron James and the LA Lakers stunned the Memphis Grizzlies in yesterday's Game 1 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series. The big storyline from the game was Austin Reaves' electric performance as he scored 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting while even notching up four assists.
Shannon Sharpe spoke about Reaves' confidence on today's episode of "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed:"
"He's an undrafted free agent and he gets the last nine points. LeBron gives him the ball and go stands on the wing. Anthony Davis don't do anything, he ain't calling for the ball. He's like, 'I got this, I got this fellas.' He's like 'I'm him, I'm him.' I'm him when LeBron and AD on the court, you're him young man, you're him."
For first-time playoff performers, especially in the round, it can be too much. But for Reaves, performing in as big of a stage as the playoffs was of no concern.
LeBron James scored 21 points on 50% shooting. In the second half, James fed the ball more to Reaves as he had the hot hands.
LeBron James on Austin Reaves' Game 1 performance
After LeBron James and the Lakers secured their 128-112 victory, James spoke about Reeves' stellar outing in his first playoff game.
"I knew from the first practice," James said, "that he wasn't going to be a two-way for long … I've been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players … and the [guys] that fit with me."
Reaves had the ball in his hands a lot during crunch time as he was able to penetrate the basket for either a layup or a jumper to extend the Lakers lead. In that span, the Grizzlies had no response for him as Reaves made sure that a comeback from the home team was not possible.
With the Lakers being able to turn their season around, considering their lowly start, the team will be needing this kind of performances from Reaves moving forward in the playoffs, especially with championship aspirations in mind.
