How the Lakers Can Help LeBron James Help Them Beat Houston

Once again, it's falling on LeBron James to lead a team into the playoffs. This time, though, James is 41 years old, and will enter the series as part of a roster meant to be led by Luka Dončić first and foremost, and then by James and Austin Reaves. With Luka and Reaves unavailable, the lineups around James will be at a constant talent deficit. So can LeBron muster up one more run of greatness, and help the Lakers pull an upset over the Houston Rockets? If we're being honest, even if LeBron plays well throughout the series (a reasonably safe bet) Houston would still be favored to win. But it's clear LeBron finds the challenge intriguing, because it's no longer a given he can put on the Superman cape as he once did. It's something very different. The good news is the stakes are more personal than legacy-defining. Nobody expects this series to end well for LA, and LeBron won't get blamed if the Lakers lose. But what has to happen to maximize LA's chances? The Lakers have to ...