Did you see it? Did you see just how fantastic LeBron James was last night?
If you didn’t, you missed the best regular season performance of this season and maybe the last few. Our man Matt Moore (writing for CBSSports) did the research on just how amazing he was.James took 25 shots and only missed eight of them. He only missed three free throws. 3-5 from the arc, and he nailed more jumpers than he missed. That’s a remarkable barrage, topped only by the fact that he also dropped in 11 rebounds, and eight assists which netted 19 points (three 3-point assists and five 2-point assists). So of the Heat’s 104 points, James himself created 70 points, or over 67% of the team’s total offense. The very definition of high-usage, while also facilitating and getting his teammates involved. It was the most complete game we’ve seen, and it came in a huge win over a division rival....
James’ performance was among his all-time greatest performances. It was his highest rebound total in a 50-plus-point game and the second highest in rebounds plus assists in a 50-plus-point game. Historically, it was only the fourth 50-plus-point, 11-plus rebound, 8-plus-assist game in history, with Jordan, Bryant, and Wade owners of the other three. It’s the second highest field goal percentage in such an effort, behind Jordan’s 20 of 28 performance in ’89. And with Wade and Bryant’s both coming in a triple-overtime and double-overtime game respectively, Jordan and James are the only two players in history to complete a 50-11-8 game in regulation. What’s more? This was the slowest-paced game of those historic efforts, with an estimated 88 possessions, while Bryant’s was at 90. This wasn’t just a herculean effort, it was the very model of modern efficiency.
Here, watch the video of his 23 first quarter points.
Notice that only six of those points came in the paint (two of those on an offensive rebound he worked hard for). Most of the shots were well-contested jumpers. This wasn’t given to him like he was playing the Raptors zone, he earned this.
Just a reminder that James is still the best player on the planet.