James' game-tying three-pointer, Lakers' incredible comeback.

In Game 3 of the Lakers-Rockets series, although Durant was out due to ankle injury, the Rockets clearly fought with a desperate, underdog mentality. The Lakers controlled the game for the first three quarters, but in the fourth quarter, the situation reversed.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets tied the game at 6:20 and took the lead at 4:59. Although James had a stunning alley-oop in the final three minutes, his offensive performance was poor overall, with consecutive turnovers. The sequence where Sengun stole the ball and dunked almost sealed the game.

With 35 seconds left, the Lakers trailed by 6 points. When James' rushed pull-up three-pointer missed, the game should have been decided. The Rockets held a 6-point lead and possession; simply keeping the ball would secure victory. However, the problem was that the Rockets almost immediately lost possession.

Under no pressure, Jalen did not choose to dribble across half-court himself but passed to Tate behind Smart with a weak lob pass, which was directly intercepted by Smart. Smart didn't hesitate or wait for teammates; he dribbled to beyond the three-point line and shot, drawing a three-point foul on Tate.

The Rockets' young players made two fatal mistakes within a few seconds. Smart then calmly hit all three free throws, narrowing the gap to three points. But the nightmare for Rockets fans wasn't over; a more terrifying mistake followed.

With 25.4 seconds left, the Rockets inbound pass went to Sheppard. James actively stepped up to defend him. This was a 41-year-old James who had played nearly 40 minutes, but Sheppard couldn't shake James' defense and was stripped from behind by James.

James, receiving the ball in the frontcourt, hit a three-pointer at the same spot where he once turned around for a fadeaway bank-shot three-pointer to tie the game against the Wizards. Facing the defense of Jalen and Sengun, his shooting rhythm was completely disrupted, yet he still made this game-tying three-pointer. Incredibly calm defense, an unbelievable clutch shot.

A 6-point lead was completely wasted by two turnovers in two possessions. Even so, the Rockets still had ample time to attempt a game-winning shot, but Sengun's final hook shot hit the side of the rim. James grabbed the rebound and quickly called a timeout, leaving the Lakers 1.2 seconds for a game-winning opportunity.

Starting from the Rockets' consecutive mistakes, the momentum of the game shifted back to the Lakers. Even if James' final three-pointer for the win missed, the Lakers would have held an absolute psychological advantage in overtime, having just escaped despair, now leaving the Rockets in despair.

From that final steal onward, Smart did almost everything right. He hit a three-pointer in overtime, grabbed offensive rebounds, repeatedly dove for loose balls, drew fouls and went to the free-throw line, maintaining high efficiency, becoming the Lakers' primary scorer in overtime.

Rui Hachimura and Smart accounted for all the Lakers' overtime points. James scored zero points in the five-minute overtime, but defensively, he performed exceptionally. He blocked Sengun's layup at the rim, scrambled on the floor with Sengun and Jalen for a loose ball, and even won a jump ball against Jalen.

On the final inbound pass mistake, James retrieved the ball. He had a chance to throw it inbounds, but he chose not to save it, letting it go out of bounds to accept the turnover. Because with 3.9 seconds left and a 4-point lead, a dead-ball situation was more favorable for the Lakers—they weren't the opposing team.

Finally, the Lakers steadily closed out the game. Today's win was undoubtedly the toughest of the three games. They were pushed to the brink; if the Rockets had made one fewer mistake, they wouldn't have won. While the Rockets erred, the Lakers seized opportunities repeatedly. Veteran players decided the game at crucial moments; playoff experience proved immensely important today.

The Rockets' starting lineup: Sheppard (21), Amen (23), Eason (24), Jalen (22), Sengun (23). This lineup is also the second youngest starting lineup in NBA playoff history. Although they experienced playoffs last year, these young players still seemed like rookies.

Back at home, they didn't employ desperate, aggressive pressure; their defensive intensity was even lower than the Lakers'. In overtime, they should have had an absolute advantage in stamina, but in fact, the Lakers were more energetic. When physical limits were repeatedly reached, willpower prevailed, leading the Lakers out of desperation.

Sengun played impeccably. Compared to the first two games, today he truly performed as an All-Star center, scoring 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in the fourth quarter to lead the Rockets' comeback, nearly winning the game. But his teammates' consecutive mistakes rendered Sengun's 33 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists a wasted effort.

Jalen's expression at the end of overtime was utterly shattered, his mentality completely broken. His 6-of-10 three-point shooting was the team's best, but that careless passing mistake at the end was unforgivable. Besides him, the rest of the Rockets shot 5-of-29 from three, still clanking iron.

Sheppard, starting, shot 4-of-13 from three, committed 5 turnovers on offense, and was targeted defensively, becoming a sieve. Using Sheppard inevitably meant accepting him as the Lakers' offensive focal point. Once Sheppard's offense looked poor, his presence was purely negative. The frightening part is that the Rockets had to play Sheppard nearly 46 minutes.

In these three Lakers games, Kennard exploded in Game 1, Smart dueled Durant in the first quarter of Game 2, and today Rui Hachimura scored 14 points in the first quarter. With James not exerting himself in the first quarter, the Lakers executed a perfect first quarter, storing ample energy for James.

In the subsequent game, you could even see James and his son dominating. James assisted his son for an alley-oop, and Bronny's individual scoring outpaced the entire Rockets bench.

James' game-tying three-pointer will become part of the numerous clutch shots in his playoff career highlights. What's different this time is that this is at age 41, in his 23rd season.

Today's game could be considered James' worst of the three. Beneath the stats of 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists were his somewhat fatigued 8 turnovers. He nearly reached his limit, but each time he erupted with unimaginable willpower to keep the game alive.

This game-tying three-pointer is James' 151st playoff field goal in the final 5 minutes with a margin within 5 points, a staggering lead in NBA history. The closest to him is Kobe Bryant with 104.

Asked after the game how he felt playing 45 minutes, James smiled and said, "Not good, of course not good, but playoffs should be like this."

Twenty years ago, in James' first playoff run, he averaged 46.5 minutes per game, almost playing full games every time. Back then, he tirelessly enjoyed the thrill of playoffs and reached the Finals the next year.

Twenty years later, James averages 41 minutes per game in playoffs. Over two decades, he has nearly played 300 playoff games. From age 21 to 41, the team's reliance on him hasn't changed at all. Even more incredible, his individual competitive level remains at a high standard.

After winning the championship in 2020, he always intended to relinquish ball control, allowing the Lakers to transition leadership—first to Davis, now to Doncic. Yet today, James remains the one carrying the team forward. Facing opponents with stronger roster talent, James once again achieved an upset, even a dominant three-game winning streak.

When before the playoffs, the entire Lakers team was shrouded in the shadow of Doncic and Reaves' injuries, it was James who once again led the team through adversity. All praises for James ultimately pale compared to one word: "belief."

He will give everything, burn out completely, fulfilling every promise; he will break limits again, turning impossibility into reality; he will lead you to victory, with the sole condition: believe in this 41-year-old James.