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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers prior to a Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers finally did it. They avoided a historic 3-0 collapse. 

Phew.

After a couple of poor outings in Games 4 and 5, concern grew over the Lakers entering a dicey Game 6 in Houston. Everyone could feel the magnitude of this game from L.A.’s perspective.

After Game 5, the Lakers were already on a not-so-fun side of NBA history by allowing the Rockets to become only the 16th team ever to force a sixth game after trailing 0-3. 

Uh-oh. 

The Lakers had enough of all the chatter and closed out the Kevin Durant-starved Rockets on Friday night, matching them with the Oklahoma City Thunder — oh, you know … — the defending NBA champions themselves. 

L.A. has three days to rest and recover before it faces that juggernaut down in Oklahoma City.

All in all, the first round was a success for the Lakers, who were without Luka Doncic and largely without Austin Reaves. 

When both of L.A.’s star guards went down against those very Thunder a month ago today, the season, for all intents and purposes, felt lost. Over. 

GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – APRIL 02: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers brings the ball up court during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Yet here the Lakers are ready for a date with that same Oklahoma City team in a Western Conference round two showdown. 

With the injuries to Doncic and Reaves before he returned, LeBron James has been in the limelight. 

With the second round starting, James has suddenly entered an even hotter spotlight.

Insider Raises Major Concern Regarding LeBron James Against OKC

In an appearance on the “Stephen A. Smith” show, renowned NBA insider Shams Charania raised concern over James in the Lakers’ upcoming series against the Thunder. 

Charania highlighted an alarming trend in the first round that could carry over to the second round to James’ detriment.

“We saw LeBron James, when he was the No. 1 in the first three games [against the Rockets],” Charania began, “he had multiple days of rest in between games and he was firing on all cylinders. He was amazing. And they got a 3-0 lead. And then it went every other day.”

Charania goes on to note the disparity between James’ production in the first three games and Games 4 and 5 of the first round. 

After the four-time MVP got off to a hot start, he cooled off in Game 4, scoring just 10 points and committing eight turnovers. In the next game, James scored 25 points but shot below 50% from the field and missed all six of his 3-point tries.

Should L.A. Worry About Star in the Second Round?

The biggest difference between round one and round two for the Lakers is more than just the team they are playing. It is the defense they’ll be going up against.

The Thunder boast arguably four of the NBA’s top 10 perimeter defenders. That alone will make the second round feel like a night and day difference. 

With Luka Doncic still out indefinitely and James getting fewer rest days in between games and having to figure out how to score efficiently against the Lu Dort’s and Cason Wallace’s of the world, man oh man.

The last time L.A. was in OKC, it lost by 43 points. The Thunder enter Game 1 of the second round owning a roughly 29-point average margin of victory against the Lakers this season. 

L.A. has plenty of sorting out to do if it wants to hang with the champs, and it’ll start with how the team deploys James and Reaves.