Here's what we learnt heading into the conference semifinals.The Lakers were one of the surprise packets out of the first round, downing the Houston Rockets in a six-gamer.Coming into the series minus both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves — the duo widely considered to be the team's best two players this season — the Lakers were rank outsiders against the Rockets.What betting agencies and experts did not take into account was just how much juice a 41-year-old LeBron James had left in the tank.James spent the regular season willingly becoming the most over-qualified third banana on the team, even if he wasn't entirely happy with the role Everyone thought it was because he was no longer capable of being one of the top dogs, but everyone thought wrong.With both his co-stars out, James seamlessly returned to being the headliner and did what he has done for 23 years: make those around him better.Luke Kennard turned into a playmaking sniper to start the series, James's son, Bronny, logged key playoff minutes, even outscoring the Rockets bench in a game, while Deandre Ayton showed he wasn't a total lost cause as the Lakers raced out to a 3–0 lead before Reaves's return.A first-round series win usually isn't consequential when it comes to GOAT debates, but doing what James did against Houston at 41 is another thing Michael Jordan never did