Higher power
LeBron soaring into seventh straight NBA Finals
LeBron James will one day take his final bow, the brightest spotlight moving on to someone else. There will come a time when his legs lose some explosiveness and those vicious dunks will be rendered ordinary. Someday, his jumper won’t fall as often, and that astonishing court vision – the key to his game – will become cloudy.
James will face the end of his career one day. Just not anytime soon.
On the eve of his seventh straight NBA Finals appearance, and 10 years since he debuted on basketball’s grand stage, James’ reign continues: undisputed king of the court. During a post-season in which he has led the champion Cleveland Cavaliers to a 12-1 record and chased down Michael Jordan as the No. 1 scorer in playoff history, James has not only positioned himself for a fourth title, but intensified the debate about whether he’s the greatest player in NBA history. He isn’t slowing down while building his case.
James has always dismissed the Jordan comparisons, saying that kind of talk is “only great for barbershops” and that original gravity-defying No. 23 has been his motivational muse, not a target. But after the Cavs won their third straight conference title, punishing an overmatched Boston team in five games – he supplanted Jordan during the clincher – James discussed his place alongside someone who was “like a god” to him growing up.
“I did pretty much everything that M.J. did when I was a kid,” James said. “I shot fadeaways before I should have. I wore black and red shoes with white socks. I wore short shorts so you could see my undershorts underneath. I didn’t go bald like Mike, but I’m getting there . ... But other than that, I did everything Mike did. I even wore a wristband on my forearm. I didn’t do the hoop earring, either. That was Mike.
“But I did everything Mike did, man.”
And he’s not done, not by a long shot.
James is on a mission, and it’s far from accomplished. By having one of his finest statistical postseasons – 32.5 points per game, eight rebounds, seven assists, 57 per cent shooting through 13 games – James is dismissing any argument about the league’s true MVP. Although he’ll finish behind Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard when the regular-season award is given out next month, James has reminded everyone during the past six weeks that he remains the measuring stick at 32. He’s raising the bar even higher, during a decade in which his actions have shaped the league.