“James made it look as easy as ever, the years on his legs as invisible as Portland’s chances of slowing him down” - Dan Woike in awe of LeBron James’ performance against the Portland Trail Blazers
LeBron James is one of the best players to play in the NBA and one of the best showmen. He proved that to be the case in an incredible game against the Portland Trail Blazers that left Los Angeles Times staff writer Dan Woike in awe of the performance.
A day after turning 37 and on New Year’s Eve, James put up an incredible 43 points and 14 rebounds in less than 30 minutes. The Los Angeles Lakers thrashed the Trail Blazers in the new Cyrpto.com arena 139-106, behind James’ historic night.
He became the first person in NBA history to have 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ threes in fewer than 30 minutes at 37-year-old.
Players in NBA history with 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ threes in fewer than 30 minutes played:
1. LeBron James tonight
That’s the list. https://t.co/2VqLu6Vclp
Woike, in his article after the game, praised LeBron James for his fantastic night, as he brought in the New Year, but his longevity at age 37. Woike wrote,
“James made it look as easy as ever, the years on his legs as invisible as Portland’s chances of slowing him down... In the fourth quarter, James sidestepped the defense and floated a three-pointer toward the rim, holding his hand and wrist high as it swished through the net for his 39th, 40th and 41st points of the night — celebrating the achievement by quickly slapping his hands together.”
LeBron James. That’s the story. LeBron James latimes.com/sports/lakers/…
It is easy to be in awe of James's outstanding performance, and even at the fact that he can still put up such elite numbers so late into his career. No player in NBA history has been able to stay at the top of his game for this long, and he still isn’t done yet.
LeBron James is powering the Lakers right now
In the last seven Lakers games, LeBron James has averaged 36 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists while averaging over 30 points in every game. This may not be one of the best runs of his career, but it comes close due to this being his 19th season in the NBA.
On the other hand, the Lakers are 2-5 throughout his historic run, and James has almost felt like a waste. The two wins are against the Houston Rockets and the Trail Blazers, two teams with the worst records in the Western Conference.
All seven games were played without Anthony Davis, which likely led to some defeats, but the Lakers still have Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has averaged 20 points, 10.6 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 5.3 turnovers per game in those games. He has also had four straight triple-doubles if that means anything at all.
The supporting cast around LeBron James has been lacking this season overall, so they are rumored to be in so many trades. Even though Westbrook has played better as the second star on the Lakers with Davis out, he still makes crucial errors at the end of games.
The rest of the roster is old and hasn’t played consistently enough to help James every night.
If this run proves anything, it is that LeBron James is not going away anytime soon. Come playoff time, and if he can do this in every game, even with the Lakers' struggles, they still have a chance to win it all because they have James.