Whatever you think of LeBron James’ place in the pantheon of all-time greats, it’s inarguable that he does, at the very least, have a spot. Four MVPs, five trips to the finals and two championships will immediately vault a player into contention for greatest ever.
Yet despite all of those achievements and terrific seasons, LeBron thinks he’s playing the best ball of his career right now, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“I think if you put it all together, yeah,” James said. “If you put everything together as far as my mind, my body, my game. If you put everything in one bottle, this is probably the best I’ve been.”
James is currently averaging 27 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists per game in the playoffs. While those are nonetheless incredible numbers, they’re actually among LeBron’s lowest averages in his terrific playoff portfolio. His PER – 24.8 – is the poorest its been in five years, while his 49.2 true shooting percentage is the worst number of his entire postseason career.
Of course, the numbers don’t tell the entire story, which is kind of LeBron’s point.
LeBron carried a team with its second-best player hobbled or absent and third-best player sidelined entirely to the NBA Finals. He’s ramped up his defensive intensity, and it’s permeated the entire team. His body isn’t what it once was, thanks to injuries and general fatigue, which actually makes this finals run among the more impressive in his career. Maybe this isn’t LeBron’s “best” when it comes to pure numbers, but, as the man said, when considered in the context of everything else, it’s certainly near the top of his greatest hits.
(via ESPN)
