Even the recently retired Kobe Bryant managed 5640 during his career, which is even more impressive considering the LA Lakers missed the playoffs three seasons in a row! LeBron has pieces in Cleveland that he never had before – pieces that fit in with his game.
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While LeBron James is seemingly clicking on all cylinders for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the postseason, he noted in frustration one aspect of his game that’s struggled during the Eastern Conference Finals.
Could the Golden State Warriors run the table and go a ideal 16-0 in winning their second straight championship? A lot of that has to do with Cleveland’s overwhelming success, as the team has won its first nine games of the postseason, allowing ample time for James to rest.
It’s a rough proxy, but a glance at teammate efficiency and usage supports this line of thought.
“They felt they were doing this for LeBron”, the person familiar with the internal workings of the team said, “instead of with LeBron” CBS Sports reports.
They’re playing big roles, too. Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and Kevin Love had 19 points for the Cavs.
“All great players are going to be playing at that level at this time of the year”, said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. Their presence, perhaps more than anything, is the difference between James’ postseason efforts this year compared with last. Now, he takes James out near the end of the first quarter, starts him in the second quarter with reserves and the results in the playoffs are impressive. His burden here is markedly less than in his final Miami season, the first for which these SportVU stats are available.
This year, LeBron has contributed just 29 percent of his team’s playoff VORP. He doesn’t have to have a 30-30 game for the Cavaliers to win (like he had to do in Minnesota). He’s scoring at roughly 150 percent of last year’s rate in transition, typically a less taxing way to manufacture points.
The Cavaliers are more versatile due to their depth.
After a regular season filled with drama, Cleveland is hitting its stride and looking unstoppable in the Eastern Conference without Golden State and Oklahoma City (or San Antonio for that matter) to contend with. It’s tough to say.
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Not only has LeBron become part of the great league, he has now transitioned from a super prospect to an up-and-coming star, and finally to one of the greatest ever to play the game in the National Basketball Association. That pretty much sums up their roster, tonight in Game 2 they will make adjustments and w/o question they can play better than game 1’s outcome.
