NBA players react to LeBron James’ Game 4 performance

The King was in the zone and his NBA brethren recognized his brilliant performance

It seems like LeBron James has activated playoff mode. After not playing with offensive aggression in the first two games of his first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, King James had been on a tear in games 3 and 4.

Game 4 was an important game in many respects for James and the Los Angeles Lakers. With a win, they could take a commanding 3-1 lead over Damian Lillard and the Blazers. It was also 8/24, and the basketball world honored the late Kobe Bryant on this day, as he wore both No. 8 and 24 during his 20-year career with the Lakers. L.A. honored Bryant by wearing Black Mamba styled jerseys.

The Lakers jumped all over Portland, gaining a 20-point lead in the first quarter. They never looked back, winning the game 135-115. James was sensational in Game 4, putting up 30 points six rebounds, and 10 assists in 28 minutes of game action. He found his shooting stroke, going 10-12 from the field and 4-5 from 3-point land. This was by far his best game since the NBA restart, getting the attention of other players around the league.

NBA players recognize Playoff LeBron has arrived

Current and former NBA players who were watching The King’s masterful performance took to Twitter to celebrate his play. Kevin Love, who played with James during his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, commented on sequence orchestrated by James saying how he has, “seen it so many times from Bron but it is always special.”

ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins talked about the performance of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, “Well excuse the hell outta me Lebron James and Anthony Davis…it must be something about those MAMBA Jersey! Jesus Christ.” Early in the contest, James converted a beautiful reverse layup, and Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges tweeted, “That lay up was nasty Bron Bron.”

Some players considered this game to be a warning to the rest of the playoff teams. The presumptive rookie of the year Ja Morant tweeted out, “LeBron in dat mode,” with an emoji that signifies how other teams should feel. Dwyane Wade, who is James’ former teammate and best friend tweeted out, “This LeBron is a scary sight for anyone guarding him.” Former NBA star Baron Davis warned everyone that, “He [LeBron] is starting to turn up.”

LeBron James’ Game 4 dominant Game 4 should have Lakers fans feeling better about him and the team’s chances of winning a championship this season. He also made history with his performance, becoming the first Laker with consecutive 30 point double-doubles in the playoffs since Kobe Bryant did it in three straight games in the 2010 Western Conference Finals.

A special moment during the game was when the Lakers were up 24-8 in the first quarter. James commented on that score saying that, ” When I looked up and saw we were up 24-8, I was like, okay, he’s here in the building.”  LeBron James showed out on what was an emotional night for him, the Lakers, and the basketball world.