The Point Four-ward: James Says

Four points I’m thinking about the Cleveland Cavaliers…

1.) Being LeBron James means having to deal with criticism. A lot of it. And while much of the criticism he receives is arguably unwarranted, it’s not like he’s always without culpability in the matter.

For instance, when King James praises King James’s own commitment to being a great leader, it’s fair to criticize when that leadership appears questionable.

Whether it was James browbeating a fragile Timofey Mozgov as he tried to work his way back from injury, his frequent moodiness, or his’s seductive (and often distracting) waltz with his social media outlets this season, the line between James’s ego and the clear mission of making those around him better wasn’t always a clear one.

The Cavs and their biggest star looked like they couldn’t get the regular season over quickly enough and their fans were left to hope that the team would look much better once they were locked in.

That’s why James’s Game 1 performance against the Pistons on Sunday might be one of my favorite LeBron performances in a while. The Cavs quickly found themselves down by seven points at the start of the fourth quarter. They desperately needed a shot — not someone who would win the game for them, but someone who would lead. That’s exactly what James did.

James has had better scoring games. He’s certainly had more memorable games. But on Sunday, James came out and played as smart and willful a game as I can remember him playing since last year’s playoffs.

Maybe I thinking this just because it was the most recent game — the most recent win — for the team. Or, maybe, it was because the team started playing with the kind of offensive balance that fans had been waiting for much of the last two years. Or, maybe, I was actually seeing James play a better, quieter game than in the past, a game that spilled over with enough confidence that his teammates were able to drink their share, as well.

2.) Take a look at the following two shot charts.

The first also comes from an opening game of the playoffs, this one part of a respectable 24 point outing on 9-19 shooting (not pictured: six rebound, five assists, four blocks and a team-leading +19).

Now, compare that to this one:

The player with this chart also led his team in +/- with +18 and logged 22 points on a very similar 9-17 shooting. This is, of course, the chart for James’s Game 1 against the Pistons. The first chart was his Game 1 against the Bulls in the 2010 Playoffs.

The differences between these two charts is subtle, but there is a difference there.

The second chart shows seven of the 17 shots taken at the rim and a total of nine of them in the painted area. Ten of his 19 shots in the 2010 opener also came in the paint. Of course, cutting through the teeth of the defense is nothing new for James. But eight of his makes on Sunday came at the rim, compared to just three in 2010. And, while he hit one more outside shot against the Bulls than he did against the Pistons, his shot selection seemed much more efficient and precise in 2016 than it was back in 2010.

3.) Okay, break out the caveats: I’m well aware that comparing James’s shooting in two games separated by six years isn’t the most scientific way to explain what I liked so much about Sunday’s performance. It’s not an entirely fair comparison… but it does show the efficiency — the lack of wasted energy — that characterized his play all afternoon. For the most part, he took the best shots he could create. When those shots weren’t there, he didn’t force it. He found the better shot that the Pistons defense was willing to give up to one of his teammates.

When LeBron got out on the break, still looked to attack the basket, as he does here:

With three other defenders between James and J.R. Smith at the three point line, James does the right thing and beats just one man (Marcus Morris) for the easy bucket.

James was also willing to move without the ball, as he does on this beautiful out of bounds play in the closing seconds of the first quarter:

Then, when the game was on the line, James looked to get his teammates going. We’ve all seen James try to bully his way to the rim (and, presumably, to the foul line) in these situations. But, here, James knew that his team’s ultimate success could depend on timely shots from role players like Richard Jefferson—

More importantly, though, he knew that Kevin Love playing with confidence makes this a much more dangerous team than they’ve showed for much of the time Love’s been on the floor in his two seasons here. Love hustled all game and James rewarded him with this open-look dagger in the fourth:

[Note: For more on LeBron’s recent stellar play, David broke it down in the current edition of The Wood Shop.]

4.) So, why does this feel different? Why does James’s pass to Love feel to similar passes to, say, Donyell Marshall, some of which have fallen, while others have famously not?

Part of it has to do with talent. For as unevenly as he’s played since donning the wine and gold, Love is a better player — especially in that situation — than Marshall. But a lot of it has to do with possibility, as well.

Cavs fans know that Playoff LeBron is still capable of extraordinary things. We saw what he was able to do in guiding an injury-depleted roster to Game 6 of the NBA Finals last year. What we haven’t seen yet — or have only seen in spurts and for stretches — is the level James can play at if the talent surrounding him also plays up to their abilities. He got help on Sunday, which meant that James didn’t have to primarily be a scorer. He could pass. He could defend. He could muck things up in the post. He could just be a basketball player — and he could not just do, he could lead.

The Cavs and their fans can only hope they get to see a lot more of LeBron James, the leader, as the playoffs continue.