By Sam Amico
ProBasketballNews.com
Following Cleveland’s 132-124 overtime win in Memphis on Tuesday, LeBron James didn‘t try to deny it.
“Every point counted tonight,” the Cavaliers star said in reference to his 51-point show.
That’s right, James scored a season-high 51, shooting a sizzling 18 of 28 from the floor. And just to make sure nobody forgot to mention him in the same breath with Oscar Robertson, James also passed for nine assists and grabbed eight rebounds.
The only other person to score as many points in
a game this season was Denver’s Allen Iverson
(Dec. 5). The difference is Iverson’s team lost
that game; James’ won.
“When we win, it means a lot,” James said. “I've
lost a couple of games scoring 50 points, and
I didn't like it too much.”
In other words, James has matured into more
than a player who can score a lot of points. He
scores points with a purpose. It’s working, as the
Cavs have won nine of 12.
There’s more.
Along with his incredible scoring ability, James has been killing opponents via the pass. That sounds simple -- but there’s a difference between racking up impressive assist numbers and finding the right man in the right spot.
Like greats before him, James seems to view the game in slow motion. You just shouldn’t be able to do all the things he does so quickly, almost without thought. Not when long, athletic defenders are anticipating your every move.
Or how about this endorsement:
“I think he's got more passing ability than Magic (Johnson) because he can put it on a dime and with zip,“ said Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni. “It's a function of his ability to score. He allows people to get free. He's (6-foot-8), and he can see."
Granted, the Grizzlies are a young team that‘s learning on the fly under a first-year coach. Defense isn’t their specialty (far from it), and they rarely sent double teams James’ way. So it’s not like LeBron was lighting up the Boston Celtics.
Still, no matter who or where you play, coming together as a team is coming together as a team. Right now, that appears to be what is happening to the Cavs.
That’s especially true when you consider the fact eight of them played and five reached double figures in scoring. That type of balance is no easy feat when your teammate is scoring 51.
Adding to James’ stellar evening once again was second-year combo guard Daniel Gibson, who has flourished in his role as the team’s top gun off the bench. He finished with 18 points and canned 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 14 points, and Drew Gooden finished with an underrated 12 points and 11 boards.
Besides Gibson, the Cavs received a big boost off the bench from Anderson Varejao (11 points), Damon Jones (nine points) and Devin Brown (seven points and a key defensive strip in OT).
Does all of this mean the Cavs are ready to reclaim their spot atop on the Eastern Conference?
Not yet. But teams that believe they're on top now had better start paying attention. Especially if James continues to look like Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson all rolled into one.
CONLEY IMPRESSIVE
Former Ohio State point guard Mike Conley finished with a season-high 20 points (12 above his average) and seven assists in 39 minutes.
It was a breakout performance for the No. 4 overall pick in last year’s draft -- who struggled early with a shoulder injury and a case of the rookie blues.
But he clearly has a firm grasp of how to run a team, and is one of those guys who just exudes winning.
The best news for Conley is he’s playing for a coach who knows a little something about using point guards effectively -- as Iavaroni came to Memphis after assisting Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix. And that Steve Nash guy who plays for the Suns seems to know what he's doing.
Conley could potentially become a similar player.
Sam Amico is the editor of ProBasketballNews.com. Contact him or subscribe to his free NBA e-mail newsletter at amico@probasketballnews.com.
