As writers, we all have our go-to phrases and comparisons when we want to really drive home a point. We can often rely too heavily on these, and too often. We have to do our best to keep ourselves in check, and when we can’t, that’s when the editors have to step up and reel us back in.
But every now and then, you stumble across a metaphor that is just so good, so apt, that you just have to trot it out every chance you get. For LeBron James, that comparison happens to be instant oatmeal.
LeBron and the Lakers kicked off their season on Thursday night in Portland against the Blazers, and though they showed some promising signs, the young squad still isn’t quite where they need to be to pick up a difficult road win. The Blazers were eventually able to overcome LA’s hot start to eke out a gritty 129-119 win that was closer than the score might suggest.
Afterward, LeBron turned to his trusty hot breakfast cereal metaphor to preach patience for a fledgling Lakers team that still has a lot to learn. Via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:
“Um, not as fast as you guys think it’s going to happen,” James said when asked how long it will take for the Lakers’ chemistry to develop. “I always kind of compare it to like instant oatmeal. It is not that fast. It takes a while to get to where you can close your eyes and know exactly where your guys are.”
This isn’t the first time LeBron has used this metaphor. Far from it, as the folks over at Fear the Sword pointed out. In fact, we may have traced its origin all the way back to 2015 before a game against the Sixers when he used it to describe the proverbial “Process” going on in Philly at the time.
Given the way that’s turned out for the Sixers three years later, it could be a harbinger of things to come in Los Angeles. Even more promising, he used the analogy once again in a post-game interview with Fox Sports Ohio back in February of 2016, and we all know how that particular season turned out, i.e. with the Cavs overcoming a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA title.
Coincidence? Don’t get us wrong. We’re not saying that LeBron’s favorite metaphor has some sort of mystical power to conjure success. But we’re not not saying that, either.
(ESPN)
