Smith went on to say that the one time James and his team overcame such a hurdle and won the series was in 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the last three games of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. In that series, Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 after hitting James in the groin.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell 116–113 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday—bringing the teams' first-round playoff series to 3–1, Wolves—but things could have been different had it not been for a successful late-game challenge from Minnesota.

The Los Angeles Lakers are now just one game away from playoff elimination after the Minnesota Timberwolves fought back from a 12-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to take a 116-113 victory at home in Game 4.