After a classic performance on Tuesday night of their West Semis Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, Anthony Davis was showered with well-deserved flowers after he carried the Los Angeles Lakers on his back en route to a 117-112 gutsy victory.
Davis cast his gifted talents and dominance to charge the Lakers over the defending champs in a tremendous fashion, concluding the marquee series opener with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting (11-of-11 free-throws) to go with 23 boards, and five assists while playing for 44 minutes – boldly logged in for the entire second half.
He became the first Laker in franchise history since Shaquille O’Neal back in 2004 to register a 30-point, 20-board performance in a playoff game. Overall, he is the fifth member to enter the mythical purple and gold club, sitting also alongside the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In the eyes of LeBron James, the Lakers franchise is truly glittered by all-time great bigs of the game, and Davis certainly has a position for himself in the conversation.
“The Lakers franchise over the years, over the course of their existence, has always had dominant big men and dominant guys that have been a force at the rim. That’s why their jerseys are in the rafters,” LeBron James said in the postgame, speaking beside Davis. “And AD’s will be up there when he’s done.”
“The no. 3 will be up there in the rafters and he continues to show why he’s one of the best players we have in this league.”
More than his offensive greatness at the front, Davis also came up huge on the defensive end, chipping in four huge blocks which included a momentum rejection over Stephen Curry late in the fourth.
To add to his historic achievement, he became the first player since Tim Duncan (2003) to have recorded 30+ points, 20+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 4+ blocks in a playoff game since blocks were first tracked in the 1973-74 season (h/t NBA History).
“He dominated and he blocked four shots and altered some others,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said about Davis. “That’s what this team has been doing now for the last few months. They have been one of the best defensive teams in the league for a reason and he’s a huge part of that. So he had a great game, and we’ll watch the tape and we’ll see where we can find better ways to attack.”
With Los Angeles continuing their mission to defy the odds and win the title after a dramatic season turnaround, Davis boldly accepted the challenge to lead their charge on their ongoing postseason march.
After stealing the home court series advantage against the Warriors, the morale is sky high around the Lakers camp with a legendary big at their side heading to Game 2 on Thursday.
“It’s history,” coach Darvin Ham said of Davis’ superb performance. “But that’s what we expect of him. It’s what he’s capable of.”
