Only the NBA title stands between LeBron James and greatness.
There are good players, there are great players and then there are players who so dominate a team that whatever others might do, their impact will always be the biggest on the game.
Basketballer LeBron James belongs to the third category. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ point forward has had such an amazing season that it’s almost impossible to see Cleveland winning a quarter, forget the rest of the game without him.
This is no disrespect to the other four players who take the field with James, as such has been his impact that they too would probably nod in unison in favour of this argument. He seems like an emperor on the battlefield amid the rest of his men.
Take a look at some of the numbers James has delivered this season. He started at a career-high 81 games and set personal bests in field-goal (49) and free-throw (79) percentages as well as blocks (93). James became the second player to post five straight seasons of at least 27 points, six rebounds and six assists. James nearly averaged a triple-double — 32 points, 11.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists — as he leads his team’s charge to the Conference finals. This is in addition to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award which he received earlier this month.
Ever since he stepped onto the court, comparisons with Michael Jordan have been inevitable. Bigger names have crumbled under the pressure of living up to the hype of being the “next Jordan” — Grant Hill, Vince Carter and Penne Hardaway would testify to that. Yet James seems to shrug the comparisons off easily and continues to deliver, week in, week out. He was phenomenal last season as well, and fell at the penultimate hurdle against a rejuvenated San Antonio side.
This year he seems more determined, more focussed on leading his team to the title. In all likelihood, two teams appear to be standing in the way of an elusive title win for the Cavaliers— Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers and an out-of-sorts Boston Celtics.
For all his efforts in the last few seasons, if there is one man who deserves to be a NBA champion, then it’s James. Then, finally, he will be able to justify his nickname. Yes, you guessed it right: King James!