Reaves is just like the rest of us when watching these recent performances.
The Los Angeles Lakers are playing their best basketball of the season at the perfect time, and Austin Reaves is soaking in every moment of it.
After the Lakers beat the Miami Heat 134-126 on Thursday night to push their winning streak to eight games, Reaves summed up what it feels like to share the floor with Luka Doncic and LeBron James when the game is on the line.
"I've got one of the best seats to greatness every single night," Reaves said on Spectrum SportsNet.
Doncic and James Put On a Show in Miami
It was a night that belonged to Doncic, who erupted for 60 points on 18-of-30 shooting and nine three-pointers, becoming the first player in a Lakers uniform to reach that number since Kobe Bryant's career finale in 2016.
He has now scored at least 30 in eight straight games, and the crowd at Kaseya Center was chanting "MVP" by the time he stepped to the free throw line in the final seconds.
James, who tied Robert Parish's all-time record for games played, added a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists while starting 7-for-7 from the field for the second straight game.
What made it even more impressive was the context.
The Lakers had just beaten the Houston Rockets the night before and didn't land in Miami until the early morning hours, yet all three stars suited up on the second night of a back-to-back.
Reaves said James' decision to play inspired everyone else to follow. "When he said he was playing, I was like I can't let a 41-year-old play and I don't play," Reaves said. "So I signed up to play, so did Luka, and we went and grinded a win out."
Reaves' Return Changed Everything
It is easy to forget that this team looked very different not long ago.
Reaves missed 19 games between late December and early February with a strained left calf, and while Doncic and James kept the Lakers afloat, the team wasn't the same without their third star.
Since getting fully healthy, Reaves has helped the Lakers go from hovering around the play-in conversation to looking like a real threat in the West.
He is averaging 23.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on the season while shooting 49.5 percent from the field, and his ability to attack downhill gives the offense a different dimension that was missing while he was out.
The Lakers now sit at 45-25, third in the Western Conference with a two-game cushion over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they have won 11 of their last 12 overall.
The Doncic and Reaves backcourt pairing has become one of the most productive in the league, with Doncic putting up 33.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game to lead the NBA in scoring while Reaves provides the perfect complement as a secondary creator.
Belief Is Building
There was a moment during Thursday's game that captured the team's growing confidence.
Reaves recalled an early timeout where head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the team was tired, only for James to respond with a simple "I'm not tired," which prompted Reaves to say the same thing.
That kind of leadership is why this group believes it can beat anyone when all three guys are on the floor together.
The Lakers continue their road trip Saturday against the Orlando Magic, looking to push the streak to nine.