LeBron James is the GOAT. What we just witnessed vs. Rockets was stunning

HOUSTON — LeBron James sat by his locker, alternating between being introspective and funny.He allowed himself to take things in, saying he was “living in the moment a lot more.” He joked about his son, Bronny, bearing an uncanny resemblance to NFL player Will Anderson Jr., calling him “my fourth child.”Nothing stood out about the moment. Except everything. What just happened was monumental. The 41-year-old James had just led a depleted Lakers team without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves (for all but two games) past the Rockets in their first-round playoff series, winning Game 6 in Houston on Friday, 98-78. This was no ordinary first-round win for James, who has carried 10 NBA teams to the Finals, winning four championships. This was one of the most stunning accomplishments of his career. It’s time to stop questioning whether James is the greatest player of all time. Six games before the regular season ended, Doncic suffered a hamstring strain and Reaves sustained an oblique strain in the same game April 2, deflating the Lakers like a nail in a tire.They were counted out in the playoffs. No one believed James could carry this team past the Rockets, not at this stage of his career. He’s the first NBA player to play in his 23rd season. He was too old to put a bunch of role players on his back and pull off a miracle.Even in his prime, that would’ve been a huge ask. The thing is, James is used to being told what he can’t do. He thrives off proving people wrong.

That’s his drug, his fix. He has been under the brightest of spotlights since he was in middle school.When he entered the NBA as an 18-year-old, he had the highest expectation of any prospect ever.

Everyone was waiting for him to fail. James sprinted past the pressure, shattering every ceiling.He’s the league’s all-time leading scorer, he has the most All-Star selections (22) and has played the most minutes. But still, no one believed James could do this. Lead a Lakers te...