On the morning of January 24, Beijing time, American sports fans, especially sports fans in Los Angeles and Miami, the vast majority of people's eyes were locked in the NFL playoffs Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Pirates division semifinals. In that game, the Rams took a 27-3 lead, but were chased all the way to 27 draws by pirates led by Tom Brady, but the Rams scored with a free-kick to seal the game.
Although the importance of the game cannot be compared, the Lakers' away game with the Heat is quite similar to the NFL Rams and Pirates. The Lakers started the game defensively badly, giving up 39 points in the first quarter. In the second quarter of the game, the Lakers' point difference behind was once stretched to as much as 26 points. Considering the Lakers' current strength and recent state on the court, it seems reasonable to be beaten like this by the heat of the last 8-6 wins.
However, often adjusted at halftime, coupled with the laxity of opponents, the Lakers lost in the second half to find some competitiveness in the game. In the second half of the second half of the game, the Lakers only let the opponent score 44 points, which was in stark contrast to the defensive intensity of the first quarter. In the end, the opponent's main interior lineman Adebayor, as well as Vincent, who started in place of Lowry, both received 6 foul exits. With 1 minute and 07 seconds left in the game, James grabbed an offensive rebound and completed a layup, helping the Lakers chase 107 to 111, and once saw the hope of a reversal.
But 37.7 seconds before the finale, in one of the Lakers' most important offensive rounds, Bradley's cover was caught by the referee for an offensive foul. This conversion of the ball is equivalent to officially announcing that the Lakers' pursuit has ended here. Although it seems that the Lakers fell in the final moments of the game, given the overall situation of the team in the first half, it can finally lose by only 6 points, which is more or less a comfort for the Lakers.
James also mentioned after the game: "In the fourth quarter of the game, we played the type of game that we wished we could play, but the hole we dug at the beginning of the game was too big. ”
In addition to regaining the defensive state and setting off a counterattack in the final stages of the game, another comforting place for the Lakers in the battle with the Heat is undoubtedly James' personal offensive status. Back on the court where he has fought and glorified, James still maintains a good offensive feel as he has in the past 16 games. In addition to the poor performance of 1 of 8 outside the three-point line, James' shooting rate of 11 of 14 shots inside the three-point line and 8 of 11 free throws on the free throw line are very efficient. He ended up scoring 33 points, the highest points in a single game for any player on either team.
"I don't really need to score 30 points every night, but my form on offense lately has been one of the best in my career," James said after the game against the Heat, "and I'm not going to stop, that's how I feel right now, I really feel great." Especially the feel of the shot, I feel very good. I didn't shoot well on three-pointers tonight, but I felt good on all eight shots. And at the free throw line, in the athletics, under the basket, I shot very efficiently. ”
James's statement is not boastful, counting the 33 points in a single game with the Heat, James has been in 17 consecutive games, and the single individual score has not been less than 25 points. In these 17 games, Davis is in a truce due to injury, and James's offensive feel has helped the Lakers solve the burning "eyebrow" of the offensive end to a large extent.
"I'm not saying before the game that I'm going to take 30 points, or what I'm going to do," James continues, "I'm just going to play my own game, and the points come naturally." ”
In the last 17 games, James has averaged 32.5 points per game. If you only look at the past 17 games, James' point average ranks second in the league in the same period, second only to Embiid, who has averaged 33.9 points per game in the last 17 games.
Also with the recent "scoring spree", James's personal scoring per game this season has increased to 29.0 points, second only to Durant, who can average 29.3 points per game, ranking second in the league. If James can keep that scoring average until the end of the season, he'll get the fourth-highest single-game scoring average in 19 years of his career. The last time James averaged more than 29 points in the season, it goes back to 2009-10, the last season of his "Cavaliers 1.0 era."
Behind the high score, in addition to the high efficiency as a support, there are naturally also high load factors. James played another 40 minutes against the Heat, which also allowed him to average 36.7 minutes per game. This playing time is also the peak of James's 4 years of joining the Lakers.
Originally, the Lakers introduced Wei Shao this season in the hope of sharing the pressure on James and allowing him to reduce some playing time. But Wei Shao's unsuccessful integration and Davis's unexpected injury have made James, who recently turned 37, have to shoulder more responsibility. The good news is that Anthony Davis has recovered well recently, and head coach Vogel has promised in advance that Davis will reduce the burden on James when he returns to the game.
"Anthony (Davis) can help the team in all directions, and sharing some of the burden [of James], that's definitely what he can do," Vogel said, "LeBron is feeling good about his current burden of play, and we're going to keep in constant communication with James to see if he feels he's playing too long or if he's at the right pace." We're basically playing every other day now, so it's not bad. Of course, when Anthony (Davis) comes back, he will definitely help us tremendously. ”
Although it is widely believed that Vogel exerted too much pressure, James himself does not feel so. Moreover, in the past period of crazy scoring, James is also quietly climbing towards a higher position in the NBA's personal history scoring list. After playing against the Heat, James's gap from historical scorer Jabbar is only 2006 points left.
"I've always moved up this list, and I think it's human nature that humans will always identify what they're in and then see if it's possible or capable of doing more," James said. And I long to be stronger, to be better. Like you mentioned, I'm still 2,000 points away. But in my life, I have never aimed for a record to chase, and I will never sit down and say, 'Let me see if I can break this record or that record.' ’”
Not paying attention to the ability to record can help James move forward better. The recent 25+ scores in 17 consecutive games is a testament to that. However, James next has to think hard about how to translate his personal excellence into a team victory. Next, with the Nets on the road, facing opponents without Durant and Irving, how will James perform with the Lakers?