LeBron James was exhausted in the aftermath of the East Finals. As the trophy was handed to head coach Tyronn Lue and all the other Cavaliers celebrated the Game Seven victory, he opted to lie on the floor and rest; he took in the formal ceremony from his unique vantage point, propping up his head with his hands and enjoying his respite. It was most certainly well-earned; he put up numbers that exceeded his best-of-all-time norms in rubber matches en route to victory, against the odds and with the weight of history on his shoulders.
Considering the roller-coaster ride James took to forge his eighth straight Finals appearance, it’s no wonder he was gassed. Yesterday was his 100th contest of the 2017-2018 season, the most in his 15-year career, and he played every second of it. He needed to, of course; his was the engine from which the Cavaliers invariably drew power, and the fact that everything was at stake made the dependency even more pronounced. Lue may well have wanted to give him a breather or two during the set-to, but the risk proved too great, especially since the wine and gold started slowly. And when all was said and done, he presided over a 35-15-9 masterpiece that justified the decision to have him burn rubber from opening tip to final buzzer.
Certainly, credit has to be given the Celtics for providing a steely challenge. They likewise had to overcome numerous setbacks in coming to within a triumph of booking a seat in the Finals. That said, they proved too, well, green to overcome the Thanos-like obstacle that was James. For all their resolve, he simply could not be denied. Not in front of arguably the most hostile crowd in the National Basketball Association. Not in the absence of fellow All-Star Kevin Love. Not in the face of everything else but his mind telling him that his was a Sisyphean endeavor.
Consider this: Advanced analytics posited James to have the worst supporting cast since the turn of the decade, and yet he still delivered in fulfillment of otherwise-unrealistic expectations. Yesterday, he managed to directly account for 40% of the Cavaliers’ points on 50% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, those around him showed up just often enough to keep the Celtics at bay; needless to say, they were aided in no small measure by both the attention he drew and by his continued confidence in them. He kept setting them up for open looks even though they hitherto let him down; he finally got his first assist after 20 and a half minutes of play, and ended up with nine all told.
Given the enormous load James has had to carry, it’s no wonder he doesn’t care to think about anything other than the present. Asked about the Cavaliers’ Finals chances, he pleaded instead for slack. The moment is for savoring the immediate past accomplishment, and there would be another to dissect the future. In any case, one thing’s clear: He will be ready to meet the challenge. And win or lose, let it not be said that he didn’t touch greatness in the process.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
