The Western Conference semifinals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors may have been a little less competitive than many expected. Only two of the six games in the series were decided by fewer than 10 points.
Of the six contests, Game 4 was the most competitive. Trailing by 12 in the third quarter, the Lakers trimmed their deficit to a manageable seven points by the end of the period, but with LeBron James struggling through a 10-of-25 performance, they needed help.
They received it from the most unexpected of sources: Game 4 will forever be known as the Lonnie Walker IV game. The reserve guard, who had fallen out of the rotation until the previous game, came in and scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter, which was just enough for a 104-101 L.A. win.
After his Warriors were knocked out of the playoffs in Game 6 of the series, Stephen Curry gave Walker an autographed jersey. He wished Walker well with messages of “keep building” and “all love,” but he also tweaked the guard by writing “will never forgive you for Game 4.”
"Will never forgive you for Game 4…"
Steph's autographed jersey to Lonnie Walker IV 😅 pic.twitter.com/UQTEDFTBtt
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 14, 2023
If it weren’t for Walker’s big night, both teams would’ve likely played in a Game 7 in San Francisco, and Curry’s crew would’ve likely won that contest, so it’s easy to see why he has the respect he seems to have for Walker.
