Lakers' Darvin Ham Praises LeBron James: 'He's the Best Quarterback' in the NBA

LeBron James proved once again on Tuesday night in the Los Angeles Lakers' 106-103 win over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA in-season tournament quarterfinals that it's pointless to worry about his age and just marvel at what he's able to do on the court.

Head coach Darvin Ham summed up James' performance by calling him "the best quarterback" in the NBA.

Ham's comments were specifically about the four-time MVP scoring or assisting on each of the Lakers' first 19 points in the fourth quarter against the Suns. He scored 15 points and dished out two assists during that span to help Los Angeles slow down the momentum after being outscored 35-24 by Phoenix in the third quarter.

James had a historic performance with 31 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and five steals. He became the first Lakers player since Magic Johnson with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game.

The smartest play James made is one that won't show up in the box score. He called a timeout in the final seconds when it looked like Devin Booker had poked the ball away from Austin Reaves with the Lakers clinging to a 105-103 lead.

Even though the officials made a mistake allowing for the timeout because it appeared as if Reaves had lost control of the ball, it speaks to James' intelligence and awareness to at least signal for it and hope for the call in that moment.

Things have been inconsistent for the Lakers to start this season, yet they are now fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 13-9 record after Tuesday's win.

James continues to play at an All-NBA level 21 years into his career. He's averaging 24.7 points on 54.6 percent shooting, 7.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in 21 starts.

The Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans will meet in Las Vegas on Thursday in the in-season tournament semifinals with a date against either the Indiana Pacers or Milwaukee Bucks in the finals on the line.