In a Sports Illustrated essay announcing his shocking return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James wrote that his second decision was bigger than basketball. And in his first year starring for his hometown team since 2009-10, The King made clear that his ultimate goal is something far bigger than regular season success.
It speaks incredible volumes of his ability that 2014-15 will forever be considered a “down” year for James. He averaged 25.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game on 48.8 percent shooting last season – the only player in basketball to reach that collective statistical threshold. He ranked sixth in PER, 11th in win shares, and second in real-plus minus. And, most importantly, the 30-year-old led the Cavaliers to a 20-game turnaround from one season prior.
But even those accomplishments weren’t enough for the basketball world. LeBron’s last three seasons with the Miami Heat spoiled us. For almost any other player, his regular season performance – which culminated in a All-NBA First Team selection and third-place MVP finish – would amount to a career-best campaign. James, though, isn’t anything close to just another player; he’s squarely in the conversation for the best one ever.
His incredible and record-breaking postseason performance was a forceful reminder of that reality. That it was even necessary to re-stake his claim as the game’s greatest player isn’t exactly fair, but also simply indicative of the awesomely consistent dominance we’ve come to expect from James over the past few years – and it was missing for the most part throughout 2014-15.
The same will likely prove the case this season. What we’re far more confident in saying, though, is that James will again reign supreme when the stakes rise come spring. There will inevitably be a time when age finally catches up to the world’s most peerless athletic specimen. But until that unfortunate development is rendered on the playoff stage, let’s refrain from assuming his decline has finally begun.
The 82-game grind is a formality for James; he’s made a mind-boggling five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, after all. And when next June comes around, it would be surprising if we’re not watching him in a sixth after a wholly unsurprising return to his peak form.
[Via NBA]
