To Quote Plaschke, after Game 4, “Lonnie Walker IV went from zero to hero”; Lakers vs Warriors

Out of nowhere, he appeared.

Benchwarmer. Discarded and ignored.

He started the season with the Lakers, but was eventually benched after the team improved.

Afterthought. Irrelevant. Nobody.

Lonnie Walker IV entered the court at Crypto.com Arena at the start of the fourth quarter on Monday night to a chorus of mournful adjectives, but by the time the game concluded, the arena was trembling with a new and different one.

Hero.

Hero?

Walker rode a hot streak of shooting out of obscurity and into the limelight, cementing his place in Lakers lore. Call it magic or karma, but don’t call him anonymous anymore.

It was “the greatest feeling you could ever, ever imagine,” he proclaimed.

Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers know that the team has a reputation for being one of the best in the league.

After going scoreless for the first three quarters, Walker scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers to a 104-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors and a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-finals.

“Ever since I was a little boy, this has been one of my greatest aspirations,” Walker remarked.

Surely he had lofty aspirations. Taking a city and knocking out a champion large.

Walker started the quarter with a three-pointer when the Lakers trailed by seven points, put the Lakers ahead for good with a jumper in the final two minutes, then collected the final rebound to seal the deal. Between those baskets, he continued to make shot after shot while the Warriors stood by helplessly.

LeBron James has admitted, “We don’t win without him.”

Walker’s quarter total of 15 points was more than the rest of the Lakers put together, was only two points less than the Warriors’ total, and prompted the Lakers’ most ecstatic postgame celebration of the playoffs.

When the game ended, James and Anthony Davis headed toward midcourt to meet Walker despite the rain of purple and gold streamers. The two famous people then around the unlikely star with hugs and admiring words.

“Just telling him, this is what he was built for, the moment he’s been waiting for, and he shined,”

Davis recalled.

He is always there for us whether he is playing or not, and he always makes sure he is emotionally and physically ready to check in. Tonight, he delivered a major performance. To show him how much we care, we just wanted to give him a big hug.

The footsteps were heard by Walker. They made sense to him. He has not played more than 28 total minutes in any of the previous eight postseason games prior to Game 3. One of those games he had spent entirely on the bench.

On the court, we find Lonnie Walker IV, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves.

Walker played 25 minutes and scored 12 points in Game 3 because coach Darvin Ham needed some scoring, but he was still on the bench. It was a spot he’d held since the season’s midpoint, when he was out for a month with a knee injury and subsequently replaced by Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell.

His fellow players can attest that Walker has had it tougher than any other Laker in terms of time missed from the field. They will also tell you that no Laker has maintained a more optimistic outlook, higher levels of energy, or greater levels of productivity in the face of such despair.

“If there’s anyone we should be happy for, it’s him,” said Troy Brown Jr.

Walker understood exactly what Davis and James were referring to when they praised him in the sweaty epilogue to Monday’s masterpiece.

Both celebrities complimented him for “being a true pro… weathering the storm, learning how to dance in the storm,” he said. I was hurt and had to drop out of the starting lineup and the game entirely; but, I persisted and kept working out. being serious about one’s work.”

He described their action as sincere despite its seeming simplicity.

“It was just to show me appreciation for how tough what I done was,” he explained.

The Lakers have also earned a warm welcome for their achievements.

As the series shifts back to San Francisco for Game 5 on Wednesday night, they take an unassailable lead against the reigning NBA champions.

Do you believe the Warriors can win three in a row against the Lakers? Including a victory there once, the Lakers have won eight in a row at Crypto.com Arena.

On Monday night, Davis scored 23 points and 15 rebounds, and the Warriors haven’t demonstrated any consistent ability to stop him. They haven’t been able to wear James down yet; he had 27 points and controlled the tempo of the game in the last period.

When it comes down to it, if you’re going to bet on the outcome of a close game, you’d better have a pretty good idea of who you’re betting on. If you’re looking for a team with a good shot at beating the odds, look no further than the Los Angeles Lakers.

It looks like Golden State is done. It appears that this series has concluded. On the other hand…

James: “When you play Golden State, you never get a chance to kick back and relax.”

If the Warriors are going to make it through this, they’re going to need some serious magic. The Lakers have their own brand of magic now, as evidenced by the deafening cheers of their fans.

Walker was almost completely by himself as he walked to his car following Monday’s victory, illustrating the unlikelihood of his popularity. One could not find a bodyguard. There was a total lack of commercial contacts. Only one camera followed him as he left. Forget everything you know about the past; if you want to know what the future holds, just look to the past.

But, man, the light was spectacular for a full 12 minutes…

“That karma, that good productive positive karma, it’s real,” Ham stated. What you sow reaps what it sows. It will either smack you in the face or embrace you when it returns.

And what about the unselfish help that Lonnie Walker IV, who seems to have been forgotten, has offered this squad?

Those who felt “the energy he put out, it came back and hugged him,” as Ham phrased it. To paraphrase, “Damn, it hugged us.”

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