All Babies vs. a 41-Year-Old LeBron James: Stephen A. Smith's Breakdown of Why Houston Has the Edge Now

The Houston Rockets were supposed to be eliminated on Wednesday night. They were not. When the final buzzer sounded at Crypto.com Arena with the score reading 99–93 in Houston’s favor, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves still alive in the series, but no longer in control of it. What had appeared to be a routine closeout game for a team holding a 3-1 lead instead became the latest exhibit in what is rapidly turning into one of the 2026 NBA Playoffs’ most compelling storylines. A roster of rookies and second-year players refusing to let a 41-year-old legend send them home quietly.

The series between the Lakers and Rockets, a 4-5 Western Conference first-round matchup, was billed as a clash of eras. Los Angeles, built around the final chapter of James’ historic career and bolstered by sharpshooters Luke Kennard and Austin Reaves, entered the postseason as heavy favorites.

Houston, operating without injured star Kevin Durant for much of the series, countered with the most youthful starting lineup in the playoffs. In the first three games, the Lakers appeared to be winning that generational argument decisively, building a 3-0 series lead behind James’ brilliance. Then Houston changed the conversation entirely, and the fans have taken notice.

On ESPN’s First Take, analyst and television personality Stephen A. Smith went on air the morning after Game 5 and delivered a detailed breakdown of what he witnessed in person the night before. His verdict was clear. The Lakers are in trouble, LeBron is looking his age, and Houston, fueled by youth, energy, and an almost reckless confidence, is capable of making what would be the most improbable comeback in NBA playoff history

1. LeBron James ‘Looked OLD’: Stephen A. Smith’s Take on Lakers’ Collapse and Rockets’ Game 7 GuaranteeLeBron James ‘Looked OLD’: Stephen A. Smith’s Take on Lakers’ Collapse and Rockets’ Game 7 Guarantee

Stephen A. Smith’s remarks on First Take were as follows: “The Lakers are in some trouble. I’m going to tell you this. As I reflect on being there last night, I was like, ‘Did Austin Reaves need to be out there?’ It’s like, if he wasn’t out there, Luke Kennard would have had a bigger role. It might not have disrupted their rhythm. Luke Kennard was virtually non-existent, and considering how great he looked in Game 1, it’s almost one of those moments where you’re looking at him and you’re saying, ‘Games 1 and 2, to a lesser degree Game 3, ride that wave, ride that wave,’ and that wasn’t what happened.” He continued, “And the Lakers just didn’t seem like themselves. And LeBron looked old. And that is the thing that really, really stood out. Now you’re going up against a Houston team with a starting five all 24 years of age or younger. All babies. Well, guess what they have? Even though they don’t have the experience, they got a spring in their step. They’ve got their legs. They did, as the Lakers waned and fatigue kicked in, Houston was more energized.”

2. Shooting Woes Threaten to End LeBron’s Historic Run as Momentum Shifts to Houston

The box score from Game 5 tells one story. The one playing out inside Crypto.com Arena told another. On paper, LeBron James finished with 25 points, seven assists, and two steals. But he started the game strong in the opening minutes, then faded completely into the background for most of the next three quarters. When he turned it back on in the fourth quarter, Houston had already done enough damage to hold on. It was a performance that, despite the respectable final stat line, left even James’ most ardent defenders unsatisfied. The team’s shooting was equally alarming. The Lakers shot 46.1% on 3-pointers through the first three games of the series and dropped to 24.5% from that range in the two losses, including 7-for-27 — 1-for-10 in the fourth quarter — in Game 5. LeBron was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. Austin Reaves, returning from a strained left oblique after missing nine games, shot 2-for-8 from three. And Luke Kennard, the NBA’s leader in 3-point percentage during the regular season, went 0-for-2 on the night, finishing with a single point. Heading into Game 5, the Los Angeles Lakers were in the ideal position to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs, while taking advantage of the Kevin Durant-less squad in front of their avid fanbase. Unfortunately, even though star guard Austin Reaves returned after a nine-game absence, the Lakers were unable to capitalize on the opportunity to end the Rockets’ season. They were beaten on the boards, outplayed on the perimeter, and unable to generate the clutch-time execution that had defined their first three victories in the series. The Rockets, meanwhile, produced what their coaching staff later described as their best complete performance of the playoffs. Houston controlled much of the game with its defense and balanced offense, and unlike Game 3 when the Rockets squandered a late lead, they responded when the Lakers challenged in the fourth quarter. All five starters finished in double figures. The team hit 14 three-pointers, exactly twice as many as Los Angeles. There was nothing fluky about it. With the Rockets staying alive, the series shifts back to Houston for Game 6 on Friday, with all the pressure now on the Lakers to not be remembered in NBA history for the wrong reasons. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit. Houston is attempting to do exactly that. After consecutive wins in which Durant has not even suited up, the Rockets now own the momentum, and, according to Smith, they should be expected to extend this series further.

3. 41-Year-Old LeBron James’ Body Is Betraying Him?

The conversation about LeBron James’ age is not a new one, but in the 2026 playoffs, it has arrived with renewed urgency. James is 41 years old, playing in his 23rd season, and until Game 4 of this series, he had been answering every question about his longevity with performances that bordered on absurd. In a playoff game in 2026, the 41-year-old James led all scorers with 28 points and added eight rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes during Game 2. He was aggressive, physical, and doing things that no player his age had ever done at this stage of competition. The physical data behind James’s conditioning has been a frequent talking point this postseason. JJ Redick told reporters before the game that the whole team did a DEXA scan, a full-body scan, earlier in the season, and LeBron had the lowest body fat percentage of anyone on the roster, a fact that prompted NBC’s sideline reporter to relay Redick’s characterization that the result was “basically impossible for a 41-year-old.” By objective physical measures, LeBron James is not a typical 41-year-old athlete. But playoff basketball is not measured in body composition. It is measured in execution under fatigue, decision-making in the fourth quarter, and the ability to sustain a high level of play over multiple high-intensity games in a short window. And in that context, Games 4 and 5 have told a different story. In Houston’s 115-96 Game 4 victory, James had 10 points on 2-for-9 shooting (0-for-3 on 3-pointers), nine assists, four rebounds, and eight turnovers. He took accountability publicly, saying, “It started with me, obviously.” Game 5 brought an improvement in scoring but not in efficiency or overall influence. LeBron started Game 5 strong in the opening minutes, then faded completely into the background for most of the next three quarters. By the time he turned it back up in the fourth quarter, it was too little too late. The arc of the performance, i.e., strong start, long absence, late surge, is precisely the pattern that Stephen A. Smith was describing when he said James “looked old.” It is not a question of will or conditioning. It is a question of whether a 41-year-old body can sustain its peak output across every minute of a playoff game against a team whose starters are all at least seventeen years younger.

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