LeBron James was angling to make a good impression yesterday, and not simply because of his status as the National Basketball Association’s all-time leader in points scored on Christmas matches. For the fourth consecutive year, he faced the Warriors as the holiday’s marquee matchup. And while he was slated to trek to the court wearing a different uniform than those for the previous three, he relished the opportunity to show that he’s the only constant necessary for success.
Considering the stakes involved, James felt he had something to prove heading into the set-to. With the Warriors standing between him and victory, he was bent on underscoring to all and sundry that he could take the measure of the defending titleholders no matter who made up his supporting cast. Likewise serving as added incentive were statements recently made by fellow Most Valuable Player candidate and familiar Finals foil Kevin Durant on how “toxic” the atmosphere around him could be. As he admitted in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, he was “pissed” when he learned of the sentiments.
And so James performed as best he could. Unlike in previous outings as a Laker, he resolved to stay engaged from opening tip. There would be no stretches of on-court rest, of lackadaisical defense, or of uninvolved offense. There was just one problem, however. His vaunted durability took a hit. Up until he suffered an apparent groin injury four minutes into the third quarter, he looked to be leading the purple and gold to an upset of the Warriors in hostile territory. He was brilliant in keeping the blue and yellow at bay, coming up with 17, 13, five, and one in 21 minutes of play — until, that is, he “felt a pop” while dribbling into the paint and slipped. He then needed to leave the floor for good.
Needless to say, the Warriors pounced on James’s absence. They wasted no time mounting a comeback, cutting the lead down to two not five minutes from his departure. Still, the Lakers hung tough and, after losing the third quarter by six, went on to prevail pulling away. They scored a whopping 36 points in the fourth and, remarkably, limited the hosts to 17 in a solid display of end-to-end work that seemed lacking in recent memory. Having hitherto lost four of their last six outings, they were ripe for the picking. Instead, they displayed their potential to stand toe to toe against the established elite.
No doubt, the Lakers were doubly motivated to triumph in James’s absence. While they succeeded in winning for him, though, the jury’s out on whether they can consistently do so without him. Which is why they’re crossing their fingers magnetic resonance imaging results won’t reveal any lasting damage. He’s crucial to their progress, this season and beyond. And unless and until he recovers fully, they’ll be hoping for the best while playing to avoid the worst.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
