LeBron James cruising into another deep playoff run

LEBRON James is in complete cruise mode. Year 15 and playing better than ever, the constant MVP candidate is averaging staggering numbers for an almost 33-year old veteran (28.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.5 steals and a block) whilst shooting an easy 57% while he’s at it.

Ever since returning to Cleveland from Miami, James has proved that whatever team he plays for, will be a perennial contender. Because of his dominance, ever since his move to Miami and his back-to-back championships, I have listened to commentators and NBA experts talk about LeBron’s ‘switch’.

They say that he coasts through the regular season, protecting his body and preparing himself physically and mentally for yet another long playoff run. Forget the MVP, “…(it’s) this ghost I’m chasing. The ghost played in Chicago”, he told Sports Illustrated after winning Cleveland’s first title in 2016.

This whole belief that LeBron is able to turn it on whenever he wants never really clicked with me. As amazing as he is, watching him on television from the other side of the world probably didn’t do his performances justice, so the ‘switch’ was not as obvious to me.

If he played badly in November against Detroit on a Tuesday night, I saw him as a normal human being who just played a bad game. But after seeing him live, these games just purely do not matter to him. What is the point in exerting all your energy on a team or a game that, in the big scheme of things, is not helping you add to your legend in the way that a ring does.

I finally realised what Colin Cowherd, Bill Simmons, Chris Broussard etc. were talking about. I witnessed James record his third straight triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists in a road win against dangerous east contenders, the Washington Wizards, and it was not even that impressive. Imagine being so good for so long that a triple-double is just a ‘mediocre performance’.

On both ends he was playing at 70% it seemed, just allowing the game to come to him. He did not force any shots early, because he knew they would come to him at some point. He found his teammates in dangerous positions regularly, both in the paint and from the three-point line. Defensively he was there and active, but waited till the game was in the balance late to make an impact, blocking John Wall at the rim.

For John Wall and Bradley Beal, this was a big game for them, a chance to take down The King on their home floor and stamp their authority on the eastern conference. For LeBron James, this was a two-day trip to the nations capital with a basketball game in-between.

The best way I can explain his performance to those who have not seen him live is that he did enough to get the win. That is all. This meant a triple double that night, other nights it may be 40 points and 10 assists, whilst other nights it might mean a career-high 17 assists at 33.

Of course James will have those games where the ‘switch’ may not be in full effect, which you have to expect, I mean he is still only human. Just the other day on Christmas against the reigning champs he had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists with 7 turnovers shooting 38% in a 92-99 loss. You think that bothers him? No way. The game was still there to be won down the stretch, even after a hard night, so what is there to worry about?

Come playoff time, that 20, 6 and 6 is going to turn into 30, 8 and 9 on 55% shooting, because those are the games and the box scores that people are going to remember, not December 25th, 34 games into the season.