Tagged As: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Knicks, Cavs, NBA

Holy Freakin’ Basketball Jebus!!! LeBron James went for 52 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds on Wednesday night in a 107-102 win for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the New York Knicks. He had the most points in a triple double since the days when men’s athletic shorts ended just below the balls and when the circus act known as the ABA merged with the NBA. He proved again that he might be the greatest single force in the league and possibly professional basketball history.

I used to think that players like the Orlando Magic center’s Dwight Howard, the Miami Heat super guard Dwayne Wade, and the new Isiah Thomas, the New Orleans Hornets Chris Paul, could challenge the King. But now, I cannot have any doubt that LeBron will define and inspire this generation of hoops.

The poor New York Knicks were posterized for the second time this week. Kobe Bryant came to Madison Square Garden and dropped 61 points in the Los Angeles Lakers 126-117 win. Bryant set the MSG record that Monday night, but LeBron again came up and again spoiled Bryant’s bid for the best player in the NBA.

I did not see the game, but I saw the highlights of this 6 foot 8, 270 pound All Star and am seriously questioning whether or not he is actually a Greek god fallen from Mount Olympus. This man came into the NBA at the age of 18 with the body of a 25-year-old in pique condition. This man can take wing players to the rim with ease. This man can jump over centers. This man could probably run through a brick wall, absorb the contact, lay it in, and still somehow convince the ref that the inanimate wall fouled him on his way to the hoop.

There are, of course, some caveats to this single game achievement. The fact remains that he was playing the New York Knicks. They are much better than last season, but they are also a Mike D’Antoni team, which means they do not play defense.

The team is the fourth worst defensive team in the NBA, allowing 106.5 points a game. The only teams worse than them are the Indiana Pacers (a team with a couple of slow white guys in the starting lineup), the Sacramento Kings (a team without a stable coaching situation so the young roster can learn how to play NBA-caliber defense), and the Golden State Warriors (who are coached by Don Nelson, the only coach who pays less attention to D than D’Antoni).

Nonetheless, LeBron James is perhaps the most difficult player to guard in the league. His lethal combination of size, speed, and skill make him an anomaly. Given the Cavs record and his season numbers (28.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.29 blocks per game) this game should be seen as more than a simple great single performance. It should be seen as a revelation and an exclamation point on his MVP campaign this season.

For those needing to watch his highlights here is a YouTube mix from thelebronjamesblitz with a nice collection of multiple recaps of the game.

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