Let’s hold the applause
Is James still NBA’s greatest? Second half may answer that
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When LeBron James walks onto the court, even two rosters of the best players in the NBA stop and take notice.
That’s the result of a masterful career, 15 consecutive All-Star game appearances, 15 straight seasons averaging more than 25 points, six rebounds and six assists. He’s dragged mediocre teams to the Finals, and celebrated titles with good ones.
He’s the face of the NBA, the game’s most powerful player. His brand is truly global.
Yet, for the first time since he was 19, he might be shut out of the NBA’s postseason.
For players who participated in All-Star weekend, James is widely considered the world’s greatest basketball player — a combination of size, talent, strength and skill unmatched in the game’s history.
But with the Lakers in 10th place in the Western Conference and James looking vulnerable after missing a month because of a groin injury ... and Kevin Durant winning most-valuable-player awards and Stephen Curry shooting at a level no one has ever seen ... and Paul George and Kawhi Leonard redefining how much someone can affect the game on both ends of the floor ... and Giannis Antetokounmpo improving at hyper speed, the debate over who’s the best player in the world may be tighter than it’s been since James took the unofficial throne.
“You’re seeing, probably, the biggest spread of talent in the NBA in a long time. You could pick a different player almost every week, it seems like,” three-point shooting champion Joe Harris said. “You’re seeing [James] Harden, with the streak [of 30-point games] that he’s on. No one has done it since Wilt Chamberlain, which is incredible. People don’t talk about PG a lot for the MVP race, but the season he’s having, he’s doing it on both ends. There’s Giannis. You could go down the list. …
“And, it’s hard to argue against peak LeBron.”
The conversation certainly is muddled, with a number of players making a legitimate case to being considered the world’s best.
Of James’ challengers, Durant is probably the most accomplished, a player with the height and length of a center and the skills of a shooting guard.
“I don’t believe I’m better than anyone, but I don’t believe [anybody] is better than me,” Durant said. “And I think that’s how a lot of people feel.”
Curry, Harden, George, Leonard and Antetokounmpo might have stronger MVP cases than James does this season, but that’s a different conversation.
“It’s hard to be the best player in the world for 15 years,” said
Danny Green, who matched up against James in the NBA Finals in 2013 and ’14. “You’ve got a couple of young guys up and coming, proving themselves and getting better every year. It’s definitely a crowded conversation.
“The fact that [James] is a little older now … but when he turns that switch on, you know what he’s capable of. Regardless of who is on his team, he’s capable of beating anybody’s team in any playoff series, winning a series.
“If the Lakers are pushing the eight seed, it’s trouble for anyone they play against.”
Knowing that James’ dominance can’t last forever, the consensus choice for next up is Antetokounmpo, just 24 and an All-Star captain opposite James this season. He scored a gamehigh 38 points Sunday.
“It’s crazy,” Antetokounmpo said. “When I was coming into the league, I was looking up to him. Right now, I was in the locker room with ‘Team Giannis.’ I’m leading an All-Star team, picking teams with LeBron James. If you told me that six years ago, I never would’ve thought I’d be in this position right now.”
Antetokounmpo has improved as a player at an almost impossible rate, and although he’s led the Milwaukee Bucks to the top record in the NBA, he still has some massive holes in his game. He is shooting only 22.3% from three-point range, for example.
“Probably the most exciting — or if you’re not with Milwaukee, the most scary — thing is to think about how much better Giannis can get,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I feel like he’s got a lot of room to grow, a lot of room to improve. … He’s only 24. We’re certainly excited with where he’s going.”
As for James, he might improve, too — during a playoff chase. As much as it’s been accepted that he has no peer as a player, it’s also believed that he conserves energy during the regular season.
“He usually saves his best for the playoffs,” Budenholzer said.
With the Lakers three games behind the eighthplace Clippers for the final playoff spot, the postseason hunt begins now.
The best player in the world could save the season, taking on enormous responsibility on a nightly basis in an attempt to claw up the standings. The best player in the world, the kind who dragged so-so talent to the Finals as recently as last season, could deliver the Lakers their first playoff berth since 2013.
It’s a gargantuan task, even for James. But if the best can’t do those things, well, is he still the best?
Blake Griffin says James has been the best for “a long, long time. But you see Giannis, you see James [Harden], KD, Steph … all these guys … it’s a lot of fun. … All these guys are pushing.”
And they’re nipping at James’ Nikes.
‘If the Lakers are pushing the eight seed, it’s trouble for anyone they play against.’ — Toronto’s Danny Green, on LeBron James’ impact on the playoff race