LeBron James had 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the Los Angeles Lakers' 127-97 Game 3 win over the Golden State Warriors. Lakers coach Darvim Ham was effusive in his praise of James after the victory, most impressed by the things the superstar did that didn't show up in the stat sheet.

“That's who he's been and has to be this time of the year,” Darvin Ham said of LeBron James. “That's why he's a champion. The little things.”

In just 32 minutes with James on the floor, the Lakers outscored the Warriors by 26 points. James needed just 11 field-goal attempts to score 21 points and he didn't commit a single turnover. After he didn't take a single shot in the first quarter and the Warriors built a double-digit lead, James helped lead the charge as the Lakers went on a 57-26 run that essentially put the game away at the end of the third quarter.

“Just the next-play mentality, and I think that's what you saw with him,” Ham continued. “And again, him putting that effort and doing the little things. You see a guy like that in Year 20. Obviously, first-ballot Hall of Famer. Top 5 Dead or Alive, ever to play in the NBA. To see him doing the little things like that—just a screen and him pushing the pace, him finding teammates, him defending, rebounding makes it easier to get these other guys to do it.”

At 38 years old and coming off a serious foot injury, James no longer has the athleticism that he once possessed. He's still one of the best players in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, making the Lakers legitimate championship contenders.