Larry Wilson: A country crazy for its guns continues to let criminals possess guns and kill people
- April 29, 2023
In a recent installment of his daily “Candorville” comic strip, my college newspaper board of directors colleague Darrin Bell gets it just right about a terrifying aspect of contemporary American life.
In the first panel, Lemont Brown is saying to his lifelong friend Susan Garcia, “I wrote an article about a White home owner who shot a Black kid who’d rung his doorbell.”
Second panel: “As he was lying there, the man shot him again.”
Third: “The police questioned the home owner, but released him after two hours. It took days of protests and bad press before they finally charged the guy.”
Fourth panel: Lemont: “Do you know how many readers called me the racist for mentioning their races?” Susan, exasperated: “I don’t want to know!”
There’s a lot, if we’re the sensitive type, that we don’t want to know about what’s going on, morally, common-sensically, in our very own country, with its crazy and deadly stand-your-ground laws. Darrin, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his cartooning, nails it.
The teenager who was shot, Ralph Yarl, had mistaken the Kansas City address of Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old man who shot him, for the one he was looking for, the place where his mom asked him to pick up his younger siblings — Northeast 115th Street instead of Northeast 115th Terrace, a block away.
Yarl, 16, rang the doorbell.
Lester grabbed a gun, and, telling authorities he was “scared to death” of Yarl’s size and believing he was trying to break in, began shooting right through his storm door.
Yarl stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. Speaking as a person 5 feet, 8 inches, 150 pounds, this is the only good news coming out of this bad-news story. Who knew we could be so frightening?
Wounded, with Lester yelling “Don’t come around here!,” Yarl was able to get a neighbor to call an ambulance.
“I am, I think, sufficiently frightened over how easily we are willing to shoot each other,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a House member who was the first Black mayor of Kansas City.
I think so, too.
A law professor told The New York Times that Lester’s lawyer “could try to invoke the castle doctrine, a law in Missouri that allows people to use deadly force to defend themselves without having to retreat.” Defend against what? A small 16-year-old on your stoop?
The epidemic insanity in the U.S.A. is not limited to White shooters. A headline caught my eye last week: “Girl, 6, shot after ball rolls astray.” In North Carolina, Kinsley White, who is indeed white, retrieved a basketball when it rolled into the neighbor’s yard. She got cussed out by Robert Louis Singletary, 24. Her dad asked him to stop cussing around kids. Singletary, who is Black, went inside, came out shooting, wounding Kinsley in the cheek.
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A man’s home is not his castle. We don’t, in theory, live in medieval times. Except that apparently we do.
Are these two shooters themselves certifiable? By their deeds, I say they are; I realize that’s not a very clinical diagnosis. Call me a dreamer, but I don’t want the insane to have guns.
I also don’t want criminals to have guns. That’s why I support Assemblyman Mike Fong’s AB 732, which would require California courts ensure guns owned by criminals are given up immediately after a conviction, which now they do not. The shooter Singletary, see, was out on bond from a December attack in which he assaulted a woman with a hammer.
I realize North Carolina is not California. I realize it’s a crazy and a big country. I’ll just take the small moments of sanity we can achieve in order to hold on to my own.
Larry Wilson is on the Southern California News Group editorial board. [email protected].
Orange County Register
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What a wedding can teach us about commercial real estate
- April 29, 2023
For those three of you – thanks Rudy – that missed my column last week, I was on brief hiatus as we celebrated the union of two souls.
Our son Michael and his new wife, Candice, said I do in front of a bevy of friends, loved ones and a beautiful backdrop of Mother Nature.
You see, the ceremony was officiated well off Ortega Highway at a venue called Jewel of the Ortega. It’s a bit of a haul to get there, but it’s quite worth the effort. The day dawned sunny, clear blue and warm — ideal for the exchange of vows.
Many years of happiness together is my wish for the couple.
What follows seemed quite fitting for the lessons learned from the event.
Selling a commercial real estate asset is akin to planning a wedding. Sure, you can do it yourself, but things go much more smoothly if you have a wedding planner — or a commercial real estate professional.
Certainly, you can do a quick Loopnet search, establish a price, purchase a For Sale sign at Home Depot and wait for the phone to ring. You know, set the date, book the venue, buy some suits and order the cake. This is easy!
Vista Print will create a glossy brochure of your building, mail a few to the neighbors, and the inquiries will start to flow. Wow! They do wedding invitations, too? Cool! Invite Aunt Marjorie and a few dozen friends and let’s do this.
So, you just got your first hit! They want to see the building next week. Oh wait, you’ve got a day job and can only meet the buyers on weekends or evenings.
Hmmm, this doesn’t work for the buyers, so now what? I guess you could slip out during lunch, but what if the buyer is late or never shows? Time wasted — and on an empty stomach.
OK, you get them through. They like it. An offer will be forthcoming. I’ll bet you’re glad you’re saving that 6% you would have paid the broker. Why don’t more folks do this themselves?
Your prospective buyers call. Do you have a recent appraisal? Does the roof leak? When will the tenant vacate? What will be left when the occupant leaves? I noticed the building doesn’t have central air. Do the cracks in the floor portend something serious? Would you consider seller financing as we have a small credit blip — a bankruptcy? Oh, and by the way, my wife has her agent’s license, so we will be deducting 3% from our offer.
Next!
Three different agents who comb the area call. Their questions: We have qualified prospects who would like to see your building. Will you pay us a fee if we bring you a buyer? Can you forward to us any marketing collateral you have? Any idea how much electricity feeds the property? (One of our prospective buyers is a machine shop.) One of our guys stacks products high in the warehouse. Will the sprinkler system handle high-pile storage? What is zoning? Our buyer is a trade school. Will the city allow that occupancy without a conditional use permit?
Hmmm. Feeling a bit overwhelmed?
Finally, your perfect buyer appears dressed as Prince Charming. Let the wedding bells ring! After all, a commercial real estate deal is a union of sorts.
You gloat a bit as your e-mail buzzes with a full asking price offer. No financing required, quick close, as-is — alright! Done.
But, not so fast. You see, this buyer has made three, full-price offers to three separate owners. His plan is to tie up all three and jettison two of the three. Will you be saying I do? Or “I wish I had hired that broker.”
Allen C. Buchanan, SIOR, is a principal with Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in Orange. He can be reached at [email protected] or 714.564.7104.
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Orange County Register
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Here’s a colorful vining plant that creates shade without a lot of work
- April 29, 2023
1. Pat and Charlie Bowers, who garden in Long Beach, asked for suggestions for a vining plant that will cover an arbor without requiring a lot of work to maintain. In “Wildflowers of North America,” trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is touted as a climbing vine that only ascends when given support, as it would in the case of your arbor, which generally means it does not grow rampantly when left to its own devices. If I were in your shoes, I would seriously consider flame vine (Pyrostegia venusta). It bears thick clusters of orange flowers during winter that literally take your breath away and your coastal environment is especially appropriate for this species. You do not need to prune star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) more than once a year, following bloom, but you may wish to prune more often for a neat and tidy look. Trumpet vines do not grow as rapidly as star jasmine so you could definitely get by with an annual pruning of any one of them; select from blood red trumpet vine (Distictis buccinatoria), lavender trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides), and orange crossvine (Bignonia capreolata). If you like purple flowers, consider lilac vine (Hardenbergia violacea) and sandpaper vine (Petraeus volubilis). If you are looking for a true showstopper, plant cup-of-gold vine (Solandra maxima). Its enormous golden, chalice-shaped flowers, up to eight inches across will bloom in both full fun and partial shade.
2. Now is the time to put down your four-inch layer of mulch, before hot weather steals the moisture that has built up in the soil due to our heavy rains. A constant layer of mulch of this thickness will eliminate the need for fertilizer in your garden, other than where annuals and vegetables are concerned. The easiest way to access mulch is to corral a tree trimmer and invite him to dump his wood chips and shredded bark and leaves on your driveway. He will happily oblige since you will save him the gas and the time involved in driving to the nearest dump or green waste recycling facility, as well as the fee otherwise required to dispose of the contents of his truck. You only need to take care to keep the mulch away from the trunks of your trees and the stems of your shrubs and perennials where they make contact with the ground. Such contact can lead to fungus or bacterial rot. Incidentally, if you are not sure whether the source of rotten tissue on a plant is fungal or bacterial, give it the sniff test. Fungal rot does not produce a foul odor, whereas rot caused by bacteria does.
3. When your daffodils and other flowers from bulbs begin to fade, immediately remove the spent blooms. This will prevent the plant from investing resources into making seeds which will otherwise be channeled into next year’s bulbs for more flowers. It often happens that strong shoots will grow from a bulb but no flowers will appear. This is due to a nutirent deficit that could have been brought on by allowing last year’s flowers to go to seed. This is an excellent reason, by the way, to cut the flowers that grow from bulbs for vase arrangements; that way, you need not worry about the flowers going to seed in the garden and diminishing the quantity of next year’s blooms. Later, when all green growth has turned brown, remove it too and cover the area with your four-inch layer of mulch. Keep in mind that watering bulbs during warm weather can lead to their demise so try to keep your bulb bed dry.
4. To determine how fast your soil drains, fill a hole with water and, when it drains, fill it again, measuring the depth of the water when the hole is full. After 15 minutes, measure the water depth again. Now subtract the 15-minute depth from the full hole depth and multiply by four to determine the hourly drainage rate. Soil that drains at less than one inch per hour is slow draining, from one to six inches an hour is average, and more than six inches an hour is fast draining. This knowledge is important when deciding which plants are most suitable to the soil types in different areas of your garden. Of course, you can improve soil drainage by amending and mulching it on a consistent basis or by planting deep-rooted cover crops such as clover, which aerate and loosen the soil.
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5. Dahlias are among the most dramatic flowers, reaching up to one foot in diameter, and now is the time to plant their tubers. Dwarf to giant types are available. For your giant dahlias to last more than a year, lift them in the fall, taking a two-foot diameter circle of roots along with them. If you divide your dahlia clumps, dust-cut surfaces with sulfur so they don’t rot. Store them in boxes or paper bags in a cool, dry place such as a garage during winter before planting them again the following spring. During winter storage, make sure they are covered with sand, sawdust, peat moss or perlite. If you are seeking a real garden show stopper, consider planting a tree dahlia. Tree dahlias grow up to twenty feet tall. They may die back to their roots in the winter (if not, cut them down to six inches) but do not have to be lifted like their smaller cousins and will regrow the following spring. You can order a Bell Tree Dahlia (Dahlia imperialis) with lavender pink, six-inch diameter blooms — as well as many other dahlia tubers — from anniesannuals.com.
Write to me at [email protected] where your questions, comments, and plant photos are always welcome.
Orange County Register
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Stagecoach 2023: Luke Bryan keeps fans singing, Jon Pardi gets a surprise on stage during Day 1
- April 29, 2023
The first day of the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on Friday, April 28 began with a sweltering heat that persisted throughout. People scattered to find whatever shade they could whether it was from trees, the large “Mustang” horse statue, branded activation tents and even some trash cans.
Stagecoach’s new layout across the Empire Polo Club in Indio also had a few challenges. The designated VIP sections were difficult to follow and left an empty square of designated “standing-room-only space” that stayed mostly vacant throughout and could be seen for the aerial shots.
RELATED: Stagecoach 2023: See photos of performers and fans from Day 1
Friday headliner Luke Bryan is used to playing at the Mane Stage given he’s topped the bill four times now. He seemed to be comfortable as ever as he powered through his 25-song set, but his energy was lacking. There were no special stage productions or guests, but the crowd was still into it as they screamed their hearts out to songs like “Play It Again,” “I Don’t Want This Night To End” and “That’s My Kind Of Night.”
On top of the music, Bryan pumped the crowd up with occasional chatter as he spoke about margaritas, fishing and was glad it was finally Friday. Before his band jumped into “One Margarita,” he was accompanied by a rather big glass filled to the brim with liquor and a lime on top as he yelled, “It’s margarita time.”
“I can’t believe there are 80,000 people here tonight,” he said with a smile. “That means it’s a celebration.”
The crowd stuck around until the end, planted in their Charis, on their blankets or sitting atop bales of hay. They were rewarded with a three-song encore that included “Move,” “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” and a cover of Bon Jovi’s “Living On A Prayer,” which included maximum crowd participation.
Jon Pardi opened up his set with a full band, including a violin and an accordion player that evoked a warm summer feeling that paired perfectly with his first song, “California Sunrise.” His performance drew large crowds that stretched to the very far outskirts of the sprawling venue. Fans sang and danced to his more notable tracks, including “Heartache on the Dance Floor,” “She Ain’t It” and “Tequila Little Time.” The singer also brought out Midland’s Mark Wystrach Mark to perform “Longneck Way to Go.” The country star from Dixon, Calif., has several odes to the state and he was proud to pay his respects in front of a hometown audience.
“I love California,” Pardi said. “It taught me everything about country music, from agriculture to the hard-working people that make this country.”
At the end of his set, restaurateur and TV personality Guy Fieri surprised Pardi with a video of Alan Jackson inviting him to join the Grand Ole Opry. Pardi is now officially the first native of California to join a prestigious organization that is invite-only.
“He’s been at Stagecoach for the last 10 years, and tonight it is historic to be an honorary member of Stagecoach and the first native Californian,” said Fieri.
“Thank you, everybody,” Pardi said. “This is an amazing night. I’ll never forget it. I guess if you want to come visit Tennessee, I’ll see you at the Grand Ole Opry now.”
While Bryan was still closing out the Mane Stage, a large swarm of people made their way into the Honky Tonk, where DJ Girl Talk was performing. The DJ mixed songs that included Queen’s “Under Pressure” and Whitney Houston’s “I Want to Dance with Somebody.” The crowd danced while massive balloons and whale inflatables bounced and were passed around. Earlier in the day, the Flying Mojito Bros kept the party going as a true testament to EDM’s place at the country festival. The duo, which blends country, funk and electronic music, consists of producer and musician Ben Chetwood and DJ Jack Sellen. Their performance included four choreographed dancers that boogied with the crowd and spent their time dancing under disco balls, green and blue lights and a fog machine.
Closing out the Palomino was rockers ZZ Top. The band performed with vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Elwood Francis, who succeeded the late Dusty Hill. The chemistry between Gibbons and Francis was a pleasant sight that often involved them playing and swaying in sync or Francis doing extra theatrical shenanigans around Gibbons. Fans sang along to classics like “Got Me Under Pressure,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’” and “Legs.”
Melissa Etheridge, the Grammy and Oscar-winning rock icon, filled the Palomino with her powerful, raspy voice and rock ballads fans wanted to hear. Etheridge played familiar tracks that spanned through decades, beginning with “If You Want To,” off the 2004 LP “Lucky.” Then she hit the audience with the ‘90s hits: “I Want To Come Over” and “Come To My Window.” The Palomino was spilling over with fans trying to catch a glimpse of Etheridge who was zooming through guitar solos, even accompanying her drummer for the last single take on the snares and bass drum for “Like The Way I Do.”
“I’m going to give you guys something to remember me by,” Etheridge shouted as she wrapped up her set with “I’m the Only One.” “Remember, she told you to be strong, to spread peace and to say one, two, three, I’m the only one.”
Priscilla Block, the viral TikTok country star, has been making music in her room since the age of 15 and her Mane Stage performance on Friday was a testament to her artistic chops. The young country singer conveyed to the audience that no matter who you are or how you look, make sure to never change, as it’s something she’s battled within her own career. Her music in its entirety is witty, empowering and utterly heart-wrenching.
“I wrote this song about a guy I was getting over, and I went to a bar to do what anyone does to get over someone, and as I walked out, I saw him with his new girlfriend, and she looked just like me … I was gutted,” she said before kicking off with “I Hope You’re Happy.”
It’s that sort of vulnerability that has made her so popular both on and offline. She also played the songs “Like A Boy” and “Just About Over You,” as well as her TikTok-famous song “Thick Thighs.”
Breland, who hosted an evening of Late Night in Palomino at Stagecoach in 2022, has ministers for parents and gospel music has always been running in his blood. So the New Jersey-based artist, who’s been defying all the odds with country as he’s known to mix trap, R&B, soul, rap and everything in between into his music, set the bar high during his mid-day turn on the Mane Stage.
It’s wasn’t a stereotypical Stagecoach set, but that’s what made it even better. Breland made sure to thank the crowd as he rushed into “Cowboy Don’t.” He also jumped around on stage as he flipped through his songs “Thick,” “For What It’s Worth,” “Don’t Touch My Truck” and even brought out Country pop singer Danielle Bradbery for a duet on “Happy Song,” off his 2022 “Cross Country” album.
The Stagecoach Country Music Festival continues through Sunday, April 30 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio with performances by Kane Brown, Old Dominion, Bryan Adams, Nikki Lane, Dillon Francis, Chris Stapleton, Brooks & Dunn, Niko Moon, Tyler Childers and more.
More Stagecoach Country Music Festival news
Stagecoach 2023: Country music fans, performers brave the heat and cut loose during Day 1
Stagecoach 2023: How to livestream the country music festival from home
Stagecoach 2023: Brooks & Dunn return to the desert and they’re ready to party
Stagecoach 2023: Everything you need to know about the country music fest
Stagecoach 2023: Guy Fieri’s barbecue, sushi and lots of drinks on the menu
Stagecoach 2023: When to see Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton and more
Stagecoach 2023: See who will be grilling with Guy Fieri
Stagecoach 2023: Girl Talk, Dillon Francis, Lost Frequencies hit the Honky Tonk
Stagecoach 2023: Trixie Mattel, Nelly and Diplo host Late Night in Palomino
Stagecoach 2023: Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton will headline the country fest in Indio
Orange County Register
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Stagecoach 2023: See photos of performers and fans from Day 1
- April 29, 2023
The 15th annual Stagecoach Country Music Festival kicked off at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday, April 28 and it was a scorcher.
Temperatures reached 100 degrees as gates opened at noon and fans filed in to see performances by Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi, Riley Green, Elle King, Breland, Priscilla Block and more on the Mane Stage. Over inside the Palomino, guests were treated to turns by rockers ZZ Top, Melissa Etheridge, Sammy Kershaw, Flamin’ Groovies and others.
RELATED: Stagecoach 2023: Luke Bryan keeps fans singing, Jon Pardi gets a surprise on stage during Day 1
Throughout the event, fans tried to beat the heat by ducking into several air-conditioned activations and stage areas, including the Honky Tonk, which this year was curated by EDM artist and producer, Diplo. Girl Talk, Disko Cowboy and Flying Mojito Bros kept patrons cool and dancing throughout the day. King and Block also surprised guests inside the Shein Saloon on-site by popping in for quick meet and greets and a little Cowboy Karaoke.
Fans of Guy Fieri — and people who just like really good barbecue — hung out at the Stagecoach Smokehouse where Fieri and a few famous faces, including Pardi and ZZ Top, shared barbecue tips, did demonstrations and handed out free samples.
Those that still wanted to party, headed over for the Late Night in Palomino programming, which was hosted by drag queen, TV personality and singer-songwriter Trixie Mattel on Friday night.
More Stagecoach Country Music Festival news
Stagecoach 2023: Country music fans, performers brave the heat and cut loose during Day 1
Stagecoach 2023: How to livestream the country music festival from home
Stagecoach 2023: Brooks & Dunn return to the desert and they’re ready to party
Stagecoach 2023: Everything you need to know about the country music fest
Stagecoach 2023: Guy Fieri’s barbecue, sushi and lots of drinks on the menu
Stagecoach 2023: When to see Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton and more
Stagecoach 2023: See who will be grilling with Guy Fieri
Stagecoach 2023: Girl Talk, Dillon Francis, Lost Frequencies hit the Honky Tonk
Stagecoach 2023: Trixie Mattel, Nelly and Diplo host Late Night in Palomino
Stagecoach 2023: Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton will headline the country fest in Indio
Orange County Register
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Clerical mistake with entries costs El Toro girls swimming league title
- April 29, 2023
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A clerical mistake with entries prevented El Toro’s girls swimming team from racing the relays at the Sea View League finals on Friday, Chargers athletic director Armando Rivas confirmed.
The host Chargers didn’t race in finals of the 200-yard medley relay, 200 freestyle relay or 400 freestyle relay, according to results online, and it cost them the league title.
El Toro scored 435 points off individual events — by far the most among Dana Hills, Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills — but didn’t record any points in relays to finish second behind Dana Hills. The Dolphins tallied 475 total points, including 184 on relays — to capture their first league title.
Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills scored 396 and 333 points, respectively.
El Toro beat Dana Hills, Mission Viejo and Trabuco Hills in league duals by large margins.
The Chargers, a Division 2 team for CIF-SS competition next week, achieved at least CIF consideration times in all three relays during the league dual meets, based on results online.
Teams qualify for the CIF preliminaries based on times posted throughout the season but most of the fastest times are often posted at the league finals.
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The Division 2 preliminaries are May 3 at 9 a.m. at Riverside City College.
Nevada-bound senior Henley Kerr led El Toro at the league finals by winning the 200 free (1:58.48) and 100 breast (1:03.82). Senior Angelina Kashani also was a double-winner for the Chargers in the 100 butterfly (58.95) and 100 back (1:00.34).
Senior Sadie Riester and junior Julia Gordon won the 100 free (55.57) and 200 individual medley (2:09.88), respectively, for Division 2 Dana Hills.
Please send swimming news to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter
Orange County Register
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Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks, Saturday, April 29, 2023
- April 29, 2023
The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Art Wilson, Terry Turrell and Eddie Wilson. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
Trouble viewing on mobile device? See consensus picks
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Orange County Register
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Swanson: LeBron James, Lakers are much better in closeout win, as promised
- April 29, 2023
LOS ANGELES — We’ve got deep fakes and self-cloning. Losing isn’t failing. And if you speak Clipper, a sprain and a tear are one in the same. Also, war is peace. Ignorance is strength. Two and two make five.
But we have LeBron James, old reliable, a man who means what he says and says what he means.
When he swore – “I was (expletive)” – after a 5-for-17 effort in a coulda-closed-out game in Memphis on Wednesday and then swore, “I’ll be better in Game 6,” he darn well intended to follow through.
So Friday, in the seventh-seeded Lakers’ swashbuckling 125-85 closeout win against the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies – ending their first-round Western Conference playoff series in six games – he uncorked clinical, classic LeBron, vintage 1984.
If not exactly better with age, then still better than 99.9% of the basketball players on the planet. The ultimate tone-setter, he did us a solid by going out and restoring some faith in reality at Crypto.com Arena.
He was at the arena five hours early, “locked in as usual,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “Nothing different, you know. Just normal LeBron.”
A normal day at the office? A big day, a bring-your-“Game 7 mentality”-to-work day, James said. Whatever it took to avoid a third trip to Memphis.
As Anthony Davis swooped and swatted and D’Angelo Russell poured in a playoff career-high 31 points, a rested-as-possible James delivered a presentation of Actual Intelligence. With his off-ball, driving-and-dishing display, he found colleagues open in the corners and at the rim, beneficiaries of James’ calculations, which added up to six assists.
And he kept them in line, staring down Austin Reaves after a missed assignment – Reaves said he got the message: “We ain’t doing that, you gotta get there” – and then he danced with the youngster after Reaves finished a nifty Euro-step-into-a-reverse-layup.
AUSTIN REAVES AND LEBRON GOING CRAZYYY!!!! pic.twitter.com/6yclkVnkEo
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) April 29, 2023
He modeled predictive rebounding (five for the game) and lent his presence to a defense that was clicking, unbothered, unruffled, organized.
Behind Davis’ five monster blocked shots and 14 rebounds, the Lakers squeezed all the brash out of the big-talking Grizzlies, who shot a pitiful, pitiable 30.2%, scored fewer points than they had all season, and lost by a larger margin than in any game but two.
Rhythm and flow: James logged an easy and series-low 31 minutes, finished a team-high plus-32 in the box score and shot 9 for 13 for 22 points.
“Felt pretty good when I woke up this morning,” James said during a jovial postgame news conference. “Felt excellent, actually.”
He cut back on the 3-point attempts that had been nearly 40% of his shot diet in the first five games. A selection that was giving the Lakers mostly empty calories: He was shooting 16.7% on 36 of them, worse than anyone who had shot so many from deep this postseason – even Memphis’ Dillon Brooks, who entered Friday 8 for 37 from behind the arc.
Only five of James’ attempts Friday night were from 3-point range, and seven of his baskets were from close range.
He did decree.
Told us so and then went gliding for a smooth reverse dunk late in the first half that pushed the Lakers’ lead to 59-42 and bumped James’ own tally to 16 on 7-for-9 shooting.
I saw the play unfold and figured he’d get a layup but I did NOT have reverse dunk on my bingo card.. at 38??? #LeBron #WUT pic.twitter.com/Y7UBveKSDR
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) April 29, 2023
“It definitely starts with me,” James had said Wednesday night in Memphis, ahead of his four-hour commute back to L.A. ahead of work Friday, the first-round series having picked up to a tiring every-other-day beat. “I was not very good at all. I think defensively, I was pretty good, but offensively, I was not really good.”
Age ain’t nothing – but the numbers said the 38-year-old James shot 29.4% in Game 5, which was worse than in all but nine of his 271 previous career playoff games, his teams now 2-10 in games when he makes fewer than 30% of his shot attempts.
Ham knew his biggest star would come out of it Friday: “He’ll definitely catch rhythm, catch fire at some point tonight. Hopefully from the outset.”
The Lakers had their first lead halfway through the first quarter and never gave it back.
And their leader, 20 years into his NBA employment and spry enough still to run one of the NBA’s youngest teams out of the gym, led the charge.
James’ vision is sharp, seeing 20-20 in the Lakers’ 117-111 Game 4 win, when he recorded his first 20-point, 20-rebound game that night, the first in the playoffs by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal did it in 2004.
And now he’s earned some valuable time off while the Lakers wait for Golden State and Sacramento to sort themselves out up north, their first-round series going to a winner-take-all seventh game on Sunday.
A blow, a breather, critical before the Lakers get back to playing every other day, before James gets back to the business of being better.
As James told his teammates: “As hard as this series felt, as hard as this series was, it gets even harder when you move a level up. So we were able to conquer Level 1, now we’ll move to Level 2, it gets harder. They understood that and they’ll be ready for it.”
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