KING JAMES REIGNS
The Warriors have one major obstacle standing between them and a third NBA championship in four years. LeBron James. Cleveland’s leader is playing out of his mind in this year’s playoffs, carrying a truly mediocre cast of teammates to the Finals for the fourth straight year.
It’s a remarkable feat, really. But then everything about James seems remarkable. From his output to his leadership, from his impact to his stamina, there’s a historic feel to what he’s accomplishing this year.
Forget four straight trips to the mountaintop with Cleveland, this is James’ eighth
straight Finals, dating to his time with the Heat.
That’s beyond remarkable. It’s ridiculous. And you can see it every night he plays.
At Wednesday’s NBA Finals media gathering, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pointed to James’ much-improved shooting.
“I think it is pretty remarkable when you’ve got a guy who is already considered one of the top few players ever to play the game can make that much improvement late in his career,” Kerr said. “It’s a testament to his work ethic and to his work on his skill set.”
The stamina at this stage of his career also stands out.
Late in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against Boston, James stole a pass and broke into the clear, two Celtics in hot pursuit. James not only beat them to the rim — while dribbling — he also carried Marcus Morris along for the ride. The 6-foot-9 Boston forward clamped down both hands on James’ shoulders from behind, hoping to deliver a hard foul and stop the easy basket.
King James simply elevated with Morris in tow and scored.
James had outraced and outmuscled the Celtics at a crucial moment of an elimination game. You could see their confidence evaporate.
The sequence reminded me of James’ block on Andre Iguodala late in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, a tremendous physical burst, at a key moment. Alongside Kyrie Irving’s clutch jump shot that night in Oakland, James’ hustle and stamina secured Cleveland’s first NBA championship.
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Fast forward two years, and we find ourselves in a familiar situation, but a different circumstance.
It’s Round 4 of Golden StateCleveland with the championship on the line. The difference, this time, is James no longer has Irving by his side … or pretty much anyone else. Irving, the superb point guard, left for Boston in an ill-fated, offseason trade for Isaiah Thomas, who isn’t even with the Cavs anymore.
Cleveland essentially remade its roster midseason, trading promising complementary players like Thomas for a new crop of players to try to fit into James’ supporting cast. Can you remember a team blowing up the roster and making the Finals? It works only if you have James.
There are some familiar role players around, like J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson. The most notable Cavalier, other than James, is Kevin Love. And he might not play because of a concussion.
You’ll see the likes of George Hill, Kyle Korver, Larry Nance Jr. and Jeff Green — all of whom have played a role in getting Cleveland here. But you’ll see mostly James trying to outmaneuver the Warriors and their four All-Stars, using his outsize basketball influence and intelligence.
“He’s a super intelligent player,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said Wednesday. “You know, I think that’s what makes him special. Obviously, then you combine that with the physical stature and the work ethic that he has, and that’s what has kind of put him over the top. (He’s) one of the smartest players in the NBA, for sure, probably in the history.”
It sounds like an impossible task — and it probably is — but if anyone can pull off an upset of the Warriors, it would be James. He’s playing at the absolute peak of his powers in this his 15th season in the league. It’s an absolutely astonishing development, given how many minutes he has played and how much burden he has shouldered.
Consider some of these statistics:
James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the postseason, with 6,775 points. That’s 800 more than secondplace Michael Jordan.
He’s also the league’s alltime postseason leader in steals (414), field goals (2,408) and free throws (1,595).
On this playoff run, he’s averaging more than 33 points a game, leading all players by far. He has made two buzzerbeating jump shots (against the Pacers and Raptors), making him only the second person to ever do that twice in one postseason (joining Robert Horry).
In the Game 7 closeout of Indiana, James scored 45, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out seven assists and had four steals in 43 minutes. Those are numbers rarely seen in the pressure cooker of a Game 7.
In Game 2 at Toronto in the Eastern Conference semifinals, James scored 43 points and had 14 assists and eight rebounds in 41 minutes. That’s stupid good. No one had ever scored more than 40 while dishing out 14 assists in the NBA playoffs.
Witness, indeed.
One could go on and on with statistics and superlatives. James is making his claim to being the greatest of all time, fulfilling a promise that started when he was a teenager in Akron, not far from Cleveland. He was ordained King at an early age and has managed to live up to the moniker.
Amazing career. No offcourt scandals. He has lifted those around him.
In northeast Ohio, where I grew up a few years before James, losing had become endemic. We had lost our manufacturing jobs. We had lost our civic pride. We had lost more games than anyone can count. Cleveland teams inhabited the cellar of professional sports.
There were short glimpses of hope — the Bernie Kosar Browns, the Mark Price Cavs, the Albert Belle Indians — but they fell short. Never brought home a title.
That is until James returned home — having won two titles in Miami — and delivered that unlikely and unbelievable 2016 championship to the region. The King delivered on his life’s calling. He restored Cleveland’s respect.
He also brought business back. Downtown redevelopment boomed. Restaurants opened. Jobs and hope. It all returned when James announced he was coming home.
It’s amazing that one basketball player can have that kind of impact. I’ve spoken with Chamber of Commerce-types in Cleveland over the past three years while covering the Finals, and they say his return brought more than $1 billion in economic impact to the region.
Once again, a remarkable achievement and something to be proud of, regardless of what happens in these Finals and whether James leaves as a free agent this summer, as many expect.
One thing is certain: LeBron James has been as great for Cleveland off the court as he has been on it.
LeBron James is Ohio royalty.