He was the defensive lynchpin once again, ignoring Draymond Green and hurtling toward the rim to stop penetration, while Lakers guards pressured hard up top, which allowed James to snatch rebounds and race up the floor in transition — like Showtime if Magic Johnson were a rim protector. LeBron has always been hesitant to play the five, but he might have to embrace it for the Lakers to run hard enough to offset their lack of spacing — especially with Ivica Zubac gone. There are moments when the Lakers, with Lonzo Ball and James trading quarterback duties, make picture-perfect sense.