LeBron James didn’t disappoint, and despite playing 45 minutes in back-to-back games against the Raptors, he was still a tanker against the Wizards. It’s no wonder that the team’s coach Frank Vogel sighed after the game, “He (James) is just staying aggressive in the game. After playing 45 minutes of the game just a day ago, he can still have such a hot performance. It’s incredible!”
“Unbelievable,” a term that has been mentioned countless times in James’ career, has become an understated footnote to James’ great achievements.
Against the Wizards, James took less than half the game to achieve another feat – surpassing the legendary star Karl Malone in NBA history, ranking second in the league’s all-time scoring list. Standing in this position, James actually used 113 fewer games than Karl Malone.
James’ friend Carmelo Anthony said of the matter: “I’m in awe of LeBron (James) continuing to climb this list. I have to admit, when I was young, I felt No one has surpassed Malone on the all-time scoring list, let alone Abdul-Jabbar.”
Yes, you will agree, because it takes a long career to do it, and you have to have a good game. In the long history of the NBA, how easy is it to achieve such conditions? Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain are not among the “best” figures on this list.
Since entering the league in 2003, James has maintained a very high level of competition, which is a key factor in his ability to climb to the second place in the all-time scoring list. Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. witnessed the miracle as an opponent. He said after the game: “His (James) career is very legendary in history. To be able to play such a high level for such a long time, this is amazing. Impressive. It’s a great achievement and I don’t think he’s going to decline anytime soon.”
Milestone night, the fly in the ointment – the Lakers failed to win the game.
The Lakers have had a terrible season, like a towel being used to clean the toilet. At the end of the regular season, the Lakers still showed no sign of getting better, swinging on a cliff edge and enduring the cacophony behind them. The ranking of the Lakers is already very embarrassing, and it is difficult to improve the ranking to the 8th position, but fortunately, the impact of the team behind the Lakers is not strong, and the Lakers can retain the playoffs and enter the season. Hope for the playoffs.
In fact, the Lakers’ playoff berth isn’t solid either.
How did the Lakers fall into the bleak situation they are today? The team’s big offseason gamble to replace a handful of role players with former star player Russell Westbrook has lost the depth of the team’s roster. Granted, sent players like Kyle Kuzma, Pop and Montrezl Harrell were by no means an integral part of the puzzle, but the Lakers paid the price for their lack of depth.
Especially in the case of Anthony Davis missing a lot, it is extremely fatal.
After Westbrook joined the Lakers, he has never been able to integrate, and the team also has rumors of constant internal conflicts, which is not small for the Lakers. Therefore, when the overall state of the Lakers is not as good as expected, Westbrook has become a “carrion” of the team, and Westbrook has also been under great pressure because of it.
Against the Raptors, the scene of Westbrook’s passionate savior was very bloody, but has it really bottomed out? Back-to-back against the Wizards to return to their hometown, Westbrook’s blood is still not cold, but the Lakers have not been able to achieve a winning streak.
Another loss stings the Lakers’ nerves coldly. The Lakers performed well in the first three quarters, but suddenly lost themselves in the final quarter. Such a Lakers team is not unfamiliar. The Lakers have often experienced sudden power outages this season, and coach Vogel is naturally to blame, and his employment strategy has been frequently questioned.
In the loss to the Wizards, Vogel was bombarded by the outside world again, and the small lineup was regarded as a faint move.
After the game, Vogel said about the team’s performance: “We didn’t play well enough when LeBron (James) was not on the court.”
James’ performance in this game was quite good, scoring 38 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists on 16 of 29 shots. Vogel’s words seem to be true. When a player in his late 40s can still average 29.8 points per game, he can’t help but be amazed by such a performance. James is already one of the contenders for the scoring title this season.
But is this enough? Of course not.
What you need to know is that in evaluating the leader of any team, the team’s record must be considered. James played another high-energy season, but the team’s record bleak James’ quality. Such a statement does not seem fair to James. A veteran can have such a performance to be worshipped. It would be hypocritical to question him, but we are talking about the team’s leader player.
A few years ago, there were a lot of voices talking about “James is getting old”, but James made doubters dumb with his performance. James is like a machine that won’t age. He makes those younger generations look up to him, but his control of the game is slipping. It’s an indisputable fact. As a veteran player, although James is not as sharp on the offensive end as in the past, he makes his opponents dare not underestimate him, but he has no energy to take care of it on the defensive end.
On the other hand, James’ ability to lead the team is also incompetent.
As mentioned earlier, the Lakers’ offseason trades have weakened the depth of the roster, and the team’s rotation talent is not enough. James’ ability to lead the team is at the top of the league, but in recent years, with the growth of age, it has inevitably fallen from the top level. The law of nature dictates that no one can change it, not even the “chosen son” LeBron James.
With water on one side and flames on the other, this is the Lakers and James this season.
(Text / Yan Wuqiang)Return to Sohu, see more