This is what can happen when LeBron James turns it on. The problem is that for the Cleveland Cavaliers to have a chance at a title, they’ll need him to do so in not only every game the rest of the way, but all 48 minutes of them, too.
Spurred by a mostly aggressive and energetic performance from the four-time MVP, Cleveland beat the Chicago Bulls 106-91 to even the teams’ Conference Semifinals series at one game apiece.
After shouldering the blame for the Cavaliers’ dispiriting Game 1 play, James made sure his team wouldn’t play a similar brand of basketball with their backs against the wall. He was ultra-engaged from the opening tip, attacking the rim at every chance and wreaking havoc defensively while putting a raucous Quicken Loans Arena crowd into an early frenzy.
James finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals on Wednesday night. But those numbers don’t do his impact justice – from both positive and negative perspectives.
When The King flips the switch, there still isn’t a player in basketball capable of his unique and all-encompassing two-way domination. Even at 30 years-old and following 12 seasons of unmatched burden, his blend of size, athleticism, and skill remains unmatched. And that versatility looms larger than ever as Cleveland continues adjusting to life without Kevin Love – especially against an opponent like the Bulls.
But LeBron’s incredible gifts, obviously, aren’t manifested to their full extent unless he’s playing full-tilt. There’s a reason why this awesome end-to-end sequence from Game 2’s first quarter sticks out, and it’s because James simply doesn’t always play with the intensity necessary to make it.
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Front Pau Gasol. Switch onto Joakim Noah. Contest a Mike Dunleavy triple.
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Post Jimmy Butler. Reverse pivot through Noah. And-1 layup.
No problem, right? Except James was so exhausted immediately following the play that he asked to come out of the game on the next dead ball. And though he blamed a slipping shooting sleeve as means for the sudden substitution, his heaving breaths suggested otherwise.
It was no coincidence that Chicago made a tepid run in efforts to make the game competitive when LeBron’s engagement waned. The Bulls cut a 25-point deficit to 11 in a span of just over three minutes during the third quarter, as the expended of Cleveland’s best player in the first half came back to bite him.
Whereas James made hay from the post and as a penetrator early, he was settling for jumpers and refusing to force the playmaking issue. It was a stint eerily reminiscent of his lackadaisical overall performance 48 hours earlier, actually, and severely limited his influence on both ends of the floor.
A peak James, for instance, certainly wouldn’t fall victim to a fake hand-off from Noah or casual over-help while defending Jimmy Butler.
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Detractors would chalk that up to laziness. For a player with the countless responsibilities of James at this time of year, though, those mistakes are almost out of his control entirely. Consider this: David Blatt employed a late first quarter lineup of Matthew Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, LeBron, James Jones, and Kendrick Perkins. And the Cavs’ coach basically had his hand forced by the deficiencies of his available roster.
Just when is James supposed to rest? Unlike those of other superstar players, his duties come on both sides of the ball and never cease. Cleveland needs a no-holds-barred LeBron to play anywhere near its best right now, and it’s exactly that level of team-wide play that it will take to beat Chicago – let alone a potential Conference or NBA Finals opponent.
Don’t let the eye-test fool you, either. All players take certain possessions off to catch their wind, even when the stakes are highest in the postseason. The difference between James’ on-and-off switches and everyone else’s is the ensuing light and dark. No one effects a game like LeBron when he’s able to go full-bore, which is precisely why it’s so jarring on the few occasions he’s not.
Heavy lies the crown and all that, right?
James returned to bring a championship back to Northeast Ohio. He insists that goal was the prime justification of signing with the Cavaliers, and we’re inclined to believe him. At the same time, though, it’s fair to say Akron’s son would not have done so if the wine-and-gold’s long-term prospects didn’t turn so unexpectedly rosy just before the free agency period.
With Love out, J.R. Smith suspended, Iman Shumpert injuring his groin, and Anderson Varejao long lost for the season, James was forced to resume his role on the Cleveland teams of late-2000s yore. Assuming Love re-signs and the the team continues benefiting from James’ merits as a free agent recruiter, that shouldn’t be a problem for its long-term future.
The immediate one is what matters right now, though, and this Cavaliers squad suddenly looks a lot like the groups James couldn’t quite lead to a title during his initial stint with Cleveland so many years ago.
Game 2 was a huge win for the Cavaliers. But it also served as a necessary reminder of just how unlikely their championship dreams seem of coming true – no matter what LeBron can do.
