LAS VEGAS —
The skepticism had long disappeared, replaced with the kind of toughness, focus and intensity that’s traditionally reserved for the playoffs.
The NBA in-season tournament injected life into the Lakers, forcing them to accelerate their process to meet the challenge.
The prize money, $500,000 to each player on the winning team, might have been the fuel early, but by Saturday’s finals, pure competition had organically added to the stakes.
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Forget gimmicks. Forget the bright courts, the point-differential tiebreakers and the prize pool. This was everything the NBA could’ve wanted.
LeBron James’ embraced the creation in his 21st season, controlling games like he did in the first 15 years of his career.