Magic 94-106 Lakers James 30+11+10 big triple-double
In the offseason, ESPN and Sports Illustrated both ranked LeBron James 3rd in the player rankings, behind Kevin Durant and "Alphabet Brother" Antetokounmpo. It seems that the authoritative media have determined that the soon-to-be 37-year-old James has bid farewell to the throne of the first person in the league.
It's also true that James couldn't compete for the league's first man more than a month before the season, missing too many games due to injuries and rarely playing dominance when he was able to play. But in recent times, with the improvement of James's health, James's performance has improved tremendously, and the data is not lost to the peak.
On December 13, Beijing time, the Lakers defeated the Magic 106-94 at home to win two consecutive games. James shot 12-of-20 in 37 minutes, including 3-of-7 from three-point range, 30 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 blocks from all four free throws, with plus-minus +14 points on the field. In his last eight games, James has scored at least 30 points for the sixth time.
Suddenly, James was back in the league's first-man competition. Although Stephen Curry has continued to dominate the headlines recently because he is close to breaking Ray Allen's regular season three-point shooting record, kevin Durant also made headlines today with 51 points, but James did not intend to let the two old opponents sing two-man turns, he joined the headlines with a strong explosion, and the first-man battle in the league.
Jazz reporter Tony Jones tweeted: "If you don't think James is still in the league's first-man competition, you're fooling yourself." ”
People always say that Curry refreshed the basketball community's perception of the three-point projection technology. It's always been said that Durant refreshed the sports world's perception of a torn Achilles tendon that could ruin a player's athletic career. Now, James is also refreshing the basketball circle's perception of how the 37-year-old veteran will behave.
Most players have either retired or become mentors for young players by the age of nearly 37, but what about James?
At 9 minutes and 42 seconds in the second quarter, Russell Westbrook broke through the crowd and conceded a mistake, and the Magic played a quick counterattack, and just as R.J. Hampton jumped high to make a layup, James chased after him from behind and sent a fierce nail plate cap. After landing, James also made a finger-shaking motion, both to show that he did not interfere with the ball, but also to tell the opponent not to feel that he could easily get to the basket.
At 3:53 in the third quarter, Cole Anthony broke through to the layup, and James rushed from the shooting horse to send a super hat to fly the ball. Throughout the game, James 3 blocks one more than one wonderful.
In the third quarter, at 8 minutes and 04 seconds, James followed up with a pass from Westbrook to complete the one-handed split. A veteran who is about to be 37 years old and has experienced groin strains, ankle sprains, and abdominal strains in recent years can also send such earth-shattering caps and explosive dunks, which is not in line with conventional cognition.
It is reasonable to say that with an anthony Davis such a top interior line, plus the historical triple-double king who once won the MVP, the 37-year-old James should enjoy the blessings, right? He could have stepped back in the second line and let Westbrook and Davis play. But in the end, James still has to be both a father and a mother, carrying the Lakers forward. No way, who let those two giants not give power.
The Lakers dug a pit in the first quarter and fell behind by 9 points, and in the second quarter, they played 2 and a half minutes behind by 7 points, and the offense could not enter the rhythm, what to do? Frank Vogel replaced Westbrook with Talon Horton Tucker, pushing James to the fifth position, and letting James play with Tucker Jr., Austin Rivers, Ellington, and Cameron Anthony. After the space was opened, James was another strong attack to break through, and assisted Ellington to shoot three points, and the Lakers quickly filled the pit successfully, once surpassing.
In the third quarter, the lake three collapses into the lake three madness, and James is also the first hero. In this section, James managed to ignore the circumstances. Dwight Howard and Westbrook don't have enough room to attack? James himself became the "solution", he used the opening three consecutive points, resolutely seized the opportunity to counterattack to help the Lakers solve the problem of insufficient space in the position battle.
Halfway through the third quarter, the Lakers have led to 10 points, and as Malik Munch comes on to replace Westbrook, the Lakers have one more shooter, James's power has been further enhanced, and he has assisted Tucker Jr.'s three-point shot, assisted Howard's dunk, and James extended the lead to 21 points with 1 inside +3 shooters.
Originally thought that James could finally enjoy a rare ease, the third quarter clocked out of work, but the Lakers really "lived up to expectations", once again after the big score lead was played by the opponent to play the attack wave to narrow the point difference. At the critical moment, the Lakers still have to count on James.
Faced with the Magic's first wave of counterattacks, James hit the ground to find Tucker Jr. to cut to the basket.
In the face of the Magic's second wave of more frantic counterattacks, James forced a dry three-pointer when the team could not open the situation in the face of the joint defense to help the Lakers quench their thirst.
After that, James completed the crushing layup in the counterattack, and the Lakers finally stabilized the situation.
The Lakers need someone to lead the team to fill the pit, and this person is James. The Lakers need someone to make a sacrifice to play a position they're not good at, and that person is james too. At the critical moment, the Lakers need someone to stabilize the situation, and this person is still James.
"Recently, as the schedule progressed, I started to feel a lot better, especially my lower abdomen and groin, and I felt much better than before in the last two weeks," James said.
James' form has improved significantly, and the data can reflect it. In his last eight games, James has scored 30 points in six games, averaging 29.7 points plus seven rebounds and eight assists per game, shooting more than 51 percent from the field. In the same period, only Durant and Trae Young scored higher than James, and Curry was in a trough recently.
The broadcaster also subtitled the game, and in James' last 10 games, he averaged 27.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. In NBA history, there are only two players who can average at least 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 10 games at the age of 36 or older, except for James, the other is Michael Jordan.
In addition, james, 36 years and 348 days old, also surpassed Kobe Bryant (36 years and 99 days) to become the oldest player in the history of cutting 30+ triple-doubles in a single game.
So far in the season, the Lakers' 15-13 record has fallen far short of expectations, and the Purple and Gold Army has endured countless doubts. But so far, not many people have dared to sentence the Lakers to death. Not because There is still room for improvement in Westbrook's performance, not because Davis has not yet adjusted his state, nor because Ariza and Nunn have not yet returned, the Biggest confidence of the Lakers is still in the healthy James.
Maybe James will not be able to compete for the regular season MVP because of his attendance and record, but as long as James remains healthy, the Lakers still have the courage to rush to the championship, even if he is about to turn 37.