Have no fear, LeBron is here
James hits town with lousy Lakers and no MVP buzz
To say that Kawhi Leonard is unimpressed with the mundane aspects of the NBA regular season is something of an understatement.
His belief that many of the 82 games are mere practices to get ready for the playoffs may not sit well with some, but it is true. There are far bigger tasks to handle than some run-of-the-mill game against some nondescript opponent.
It’s not that they don’t matter at all. It’s that they matter solely as preparation for bigger challenges to come. It’s all about being ready for the end and getting through the start.
Harsh? Yes. True? Undoubtedly, and good for Leonard for being honest enough to admit it. But there are nights and challenges that are bigger than others, even in the subset of 82 warmups, and one is upon Leonard and the Raptors on Thursday night.
LeBron James, such a thorn in the side of the Toronto franchise for years, makes his lone appearance of the regular season at Scotiabank Arena with the Los Angeles Lakers and it will be a moment in the season. Not as big a moment as in the recent past, but there’s undoubtedly going to be a bit more energy in the building than usual, and it will give Leonard a bit of extra juice.
“It’s another great player on the floor, hall of fame player, that’s who you want to compete against,” Leonard said Wednesday. “This is why we come to the NBA, is to play at a high level and play against great players.”
James is still great, make no mistake about that, and his down season at 34 years old says more about the Lakers franchise than it does him. Still, it will be odd to see James in Toronto at this time of year and not place any importance on the result.
The Raptors and their fans are used to trying to measure up to James and his team as the NBA playoffs approach, and wondering if this might be the year the team slays the giant of the Eastern Conference.
He has ruined the last three seasons for the Raptors and those who support them, carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers
past Toronto in each of the last three NBA playoff runs. His mere presence has shaken the team’s supporters to their core and his big games have meant doom for the team. He was this giant, always in the way.
But now, not only is James in the West and not an impediment to Toronto’s post-season journey, but he’s on a team that’s going nowhere — 61⁄ 2 games out of the last playoff spot with two teams between them and eighth place going into Wednesday night. The Lakers are all but mathematically eliminated and James is suffering through a desultory start to his Los Angeles adventure.
He’s already missed 18 games due to injury, and there is talk about him taking nights off for “load management” as the season comes to an end. As good as he is, he is not anywhere close to the conversation about the league’s most valuable player this year.
A non-playoff team — the first since his second year in the league back in 2004-05 – and an MVP field stacked with the likes of Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Paul George, Houston’s James Harden, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Denver’s Nikola Jokic make it conceivable that James will be left off ballots entirely when they are cast next month.
Imagine that. A five-man MVP ballot that does not include LeBron James?
Unthinkable, but entirely possible this season despite the fact James is still very much James. He is averaging 27.3 points per game on 51-per-cent shooting from the field, grabs 8.7 rebounds and dishes out eight assists — all stats in line with those he’s posted in his hall of fame career.
But the Lakers have at times been a tire fire, and James has been caught up in it.
“They had a lot of injuries early. The key (point was) LeBron being injured,” Leonard said, “but also some of their (other) impact guys, their pieces have got injured. And that’s what it takes to be able to have a successful season, just preventing injury.”