When you see it, you just know. Greatness is sometimes that simple, because it comes in so many different forms. Wilt’s greatness looked a lot different than Magic’s greatness, just as Bird’s looked so different from Michael’s. We as a society have a tendency to compare the latest form of greatness with those from the past. In the midst of LeBron’s latest historic stretch of play, we need not try to compare it to Jordan’s best stretch, or Kobe’s, or Magic’s. Instead, take a breath, sit back, and enjoy a form of greatness we have never before seen.
Late in their game Tuesday night against the Blazers, James sized up his man at the top of the key, jabbed left, drove right, rose up amongst three defenders and… passed. At first glance, there was nothing great about this play. Jordan would’ve switched hands mid-air and kissed the ball off the glass. Kobe would’ve drawn a foul and thrown up a shot no one else would dare attempt, and it would go in half the time. But this is what makes James’ greatness so unique. Instead of shooting, James floated in the air a second longer than anyone else and flung the ball over his head to the corner just before his feet returned to the ground. Standing in the corner all alone, Ray Allen caught the pass, rose up, and drained it from behind the arc for the 2,793rd time in his career. We’ve seen this sequence so many times that it no longer seems special. But that overlooks the placement of LeBron’s pass. James placed the ball in between the ‘E’ and ‘A’ on Allen’s jersey, allowing him to catch and shoot in one motion just before the defender, who was drawn off of Allen by James’ drive, was able to contest.
We often hear how great players make their teammates better. Often, this is by demanding more of them, making them raise their play to reach the star’s level. LeBron makes his teammates better by making the game easier for them. In Boston, Allen won a championship by running around screens, catching passes in awkward positions, and hitting contested threes. Now? He stands in a corner and shoots wide-open threes like it’s pregame shoot around. This is not to diminish the greatness of Allen’s teammates in Boston like KG, Paul Pierce, or Rondo. Rather, this sequence illustrates the uniqueness of what makes James great.
Minutes after Allen’s corner three, James made another greatness-defining play. As the game approached its climax, the Heat were clinging to a two possession lead when a Blazer player broke down the defense and seemed poised to finish an easy lay-in. Then, from seemingly out of nowhere (and from out of the picture for those watching on TV), LeBron soared over and thwarted the shot attempt, sparking a fast break that would seal the Heat victory. It is widely known by now that LeBron is one of the best defenders this league has ever seen, possessing otherworldly size and speed that allows him to guard virtually anyone on the court. What seems to fly under the radar is James’ clutch play on this end of the floor. Too often he is criticized for his lack of a clutch gene on the offensive end without anyone addressing his ability to shut down the opposing team’s best player in these crucial situations. Anyone remember the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals? That was when he locked down MVP Derrick Rose in the fourth quarter for four straight games as the Heat cruised to a 4-1 series victory. Of course this was quickly forgotten by his lack of game-winners on the offensive side of the ball against the Mavs in the Finals. But who is to say that scoring points is more important than stopping the opponent from doing so? We give it more value because our heroes’ (Magic, Bird, MJ, Shaq, Kobe, Dirk, etc.) have been defined by their accolades on the offensive end. James accomplishments are no less great; he is simply redefining our idea of greatness.
But the spectrum of LeBron’s greatness does not stop with his passing skills and defensive ability, lest we forget that he is now in the midst of a six game stretch of scoring 30+ points on 60% shooting, after finishing 11-for-15 with 30 points Tuesday night in Miami. James is redefining greatness, but that hasn’t stopped him from being incredible in all the traditional ways as well. So for now, let’s not keep comparing LeBron to the greats of the past and analyzing where he will stand among them when his career comes to an end. Instead, sit back, relax, and enjoy all the nuances of LeBron’s unique form of greatness.
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I hope you enjoyed reading! If you have any questions, comments, or other suggestions on how to improve the column or any other topic feel free to contact me at my email address [email protected], on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/adam.colman.9 or on Twitter @AdamRColman.
Thanks for the support!
Late in their game Tuesday night against the Blazers, James sized up his man at the top of the key, jabbed left, drove right, rose up amongst three defenders and… passed. At first glance, there was nothing great about this play. Jordan would’ve switched hands mid-air and kissed the ball off the glass. Kobe would’ve drawn a foul and thrown up a shot no one else would dare attempt, and it would go in half the time. But this is what makes James’ greatness so unique. Instead of shooting, James floated in the air a second longer than anyone else and flung the ball over his head to the corner just before his feet returned to the ground. Standing in the corner all alone, Ray Allen caught the pass, rose up, and drained it from behind the arc for the 2,793rd time in his career. We’ve seen this sequence so many times that it no longer seems special. But that overlooks the placement of LeBron’s pass. James placed the ball in between the ‘E’ and ‘A’ on Allen’s jersey, allowing him to catch and shoot in one motion just before the defender, who was drawn off of Allen by James’ drive, was able to contest.
We often hear how great players make their teammates better. Often, this is by demanding more of them, making them raise their play to reach the star’s level. LeBron makes his teammates better by making the game easier for them. In Boston, Allen won a championship by running around screens, catching passes in awkward positions, and hitting contested threes. Now? He stands in a corner and shoots wide-open threes like it’s pregame shoot around. This is not to diminish the greatness of Allen’s teammates in Boston like KG, Paul Pierce, or Rondo. Rather, this sequence illustrates the uniqueness of what makes James great.
Minutes after Allen’s corner three, James made another greatness-defining play. As the game approached its climax, the Heat were clinging to a two possession lead when a Blazer player broke down the defense and seemed poised to finish an easy lay-in. Then, from seemingly out of nowhere (and from out of the picture for those watching on TV), LeBron soared over and thwarted the shot attempt, sparking a fast break that would seal the Heat victory. It is widely known by now that LeBron is one of the best defenders this league has ever seen, possessing otherworldly size and speed that allows him to guard virtually anyone on the court. What seems to fly under the radar is James’ clutch play on this end of the floor. Too often he is criticized for his lack of a clutch gene on the offensive end without anyone addressing his ability to shut down the opposing team’s best player in these crucial situations. Anyone remember the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals? That was when he locked down MVP Derrick Rose in the fourth quarter for four straight games as the Heat cruised to a 4-1 series victory. Of course this was quickly forgotten by his lack of game-winners on the offensive side of the ball against the Mavs in the Finals. But who is to say that scoring points is more important than stopping the opponent from doing so? We give it more value because our heroes’ (Magic, Bird, MJ, Shaq, Kobe, Dirk, etc.) have been defined by their accolades on the offensive end. James accomplishments are no less great; he is simply redefining our idea of greatness.
But the spectrum of LeBron’s greatness does not stop with his passing skills and defensive ability, lest we forget that he is now in the midst of a six game stretch of scoring 30+ points on 60% shooting, after finishing 11-for-15 with 30 points Tuesday night in Miami. James is redefining greatness, but that hasn’t stopped him from being incredible in all the traditional ways as well. So for now, let’s not keep comparing LeBron to the greats of the past and analyzing where he will stand among them when his career comes to an end. Instead, sit back, relax, and enjoy all the nuances of LeBron’s unique form of greatness.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you enjoyed reading! If you have any questions, comments, or other suggestions on how to improve the column or any other topic feel free to contact me at my email address [email protected], on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/adam.colman.9 or on Twitter @AdamRColman.
Thanks for the support!
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