In his 17 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James has developed a system for preparing for the playoffs.
There’s an increase at some point in the last third of the NBA season, a handful of games where he pushes himself to play more minutes than most observers would probably want him to do. But he does it so he knows the equipment is there later when he needs it.
Then there is a short recovery time, when he gets his legs back before the playoffs begin. Then there is a stoppage, when he closes himself to the outside world until the mission – or the season – is complete.
No social media. No extra interviews. Total concentration only.
This year was not typical.
There was no boost or refill. There was a closure of the NBA season, but no social media or James interviews.
In fact, on Monday, the day before the Los Angeles Lakers playoffs opened, James recorded an interview with Cari Champion and Jemele Hill for their new show on Vice TV, noting, “I don’t let many people see me in my room right now. ” But he wanted to support them in their new venture and discuss his More Than a Vote initiative.
In the bubble, James and the Lakers took some time to get back to the dominant form they had shown before the season was suspended. These are unlike any other playoffs in league history.
James had a triple-double 23-17-16 in Game 1 but came in a defeat that saw him miss his only two free throws in the fourth quarter and make only one field goal in the final seven minutes. Despite a big win in Game 2, James only had 10 points, with more turnovers (six) than field goals (4 of 11).
Ultimately, in the third Western Conference quarter-final game against the Portland Trail Blazers, James seemed to find the dominant flow he showed in 14 other postseason away games.
“I just think about my offensive pace tonight,” James said, creating an elaborate car metaphor that actually worked very well to describe his game, “I was fast, slow, medium-paced at times. It was like a change. Sometimes. I was in gear 1, sometimes in gear 6. To be able to read and react, depending on whether I was on a cruise or in a residential area or on the highway or on a straight road. a car that can go at different speeds and areas, depending on the traffic, is essential “.
James finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists to lead Los Angeles to a 116-108 win over Portland, taking the 2-1 lead in the series. He did this by attacking everything in his path.
“LeBron finally got excited,” Lakers shooting guard Danny Green said. “It’s the first time. … We didn’t have a game where everyone was hot. He was active from start to finish.”
Of course, there’s a pretty direct correlation between James warming up and the rest of the Lakers overheating. As the team’s main ball handler and stroke maker, James has a way to lift all boats during his rising tide. Attack the circle, then the 3-point shoots are open. He hits from 3, then overtakes and cuts the lanes open to everyone else.
On Saturday, James attacked so hard that he pushed Anthony Davis out of another halftime funk. The Lakers big man was quiet in the first half, but Davis scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half.
“I halfway told Bron, I have to take some pressure off him,” Davis said. “I’ve lost a lot of free throws [five of nine first-half attempts]. I didn’t want him to have to lead the team all the time, where he didn’t have to try to go down and score every time.
“He was in attack mode. We need him all the time. When he attacks, it’s our job to take shots.”
James attacked the circle so hard on Saturday that he went to the free throw line 17 times, scoring the most attempts in a post-season match since Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and his maximum in any match. since he joined the Lakers two summers ago. All nine of James’ fouls in Game 3 resulted in free throws.
There was also a change in James’ shot diet. In the 2018 postseason, he attempted 121 midrange shots (making 59, 48.8%). During three post-season games in 2020, James has yet to attempt a mid-range shot; he attempted 198 such shots in the regular season and was 3-of-17 on midrange shots in seeded matches. In the playoffs it was all in the paint, on the free-throw line and from 3-point distance.
James was 32 in 2017, just a year away from what will likely be considered the greatest achievement of his career: leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title. He was then still exactly in his prime.
On Saturday, at 35, 236 days old, James overtook Michael Jordan as the oldest player with a 35-10-5 game in the playoffs, according to data from Elias Sports Bureau.
As long as he continues at this level, James’ age will be part of the discussion. When there are moments or encounters against contemporaries, like his good friend Carmelo Anthony, it will seem more meaningful.
But those moments are also points of comparison. Anthony, 36, was excellent for some stretches of Saturday’s game, most notably in the third quarter, when he scored 13 of Portland’s 29 points. Anthony was also one of Portland’s most effective defenders over James in this series, keeping him 4 for 12 from the field with five turnovers.
But Anthony’s big moments are moments. He had 13 points in the third quarter but only seven points in the rest of the game.
On the contrary, James has maintained that level of play the entire time. He concluded the match with a powerful drive over Jusuf Nurkic, Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. for a layup, followed by a terrible triple to extend the Lakers lead to 14.
It was part of a fourth quarter in which James and Davis teamed up to score or watch the Lakers last 21 points of the game.
The Trail Blazers looked exhausted from James’s onslaught, which was especially cruel for a team that has come this far since the NBA season resumed and have gone through so much (a season-end injury to the mighty Zach Collins, the all-star Damian Lillard dislocated Nurkic’s heavy heart and finger after his grandmother’s death from COVID-19).
Portland fell behind in the fourth quarter of all 12 games in Florida but one. There was no comeback against the Lakers on Saturday. If anything, the Lakers defense cracked down on the Trail Blazers even harder in the second half. Los Angeles contested 11 of 12 3-point attempts at Portland, according to Second Spectrum, and held the Trail Blazers 43.2% from the field in the second half.
Later, Anthony recognized that James’ aggressive mindset was a factor.
“We expected,” Anthony said. “I expected him to come out the way he did. He was aggressive. He will continue to be aggressive, so it’s something we know is something we need to be aware of. Game 4 is coming., So we should be aware of it. Tomorrow we go back to the gym, watch the movie, let’s see what we have to do, let’s see what we’ve done wrong, let’s correct those mistakes. Some things are upon us, but we’ll figure it out but we’re thinking about match 4 right now. “
Portland will make some adjustments. The series isn’t over. James knows there is room for improvement, despite the welcome assertiveness.
“I have very careless turnovers where I can improve,” he said. “And when you go to the free throw line, you have to take those free throws. So I have to do a better job with both of us.”
LeBron James made his arrival to the 2020 postseason
In his 17 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James has developed a system for preparing for the playoffs.
There’s an increase at some point in the last third of the NBA season, a handful of games where he pushes himself to play more minutes than most observers would probably want him to do. But he does it so he knows the equipment is there later when he needs it.
Then there is a short recovery time, when he gets his legs back before the playoffs begin. Then there is a stoppage, when he closes himself to the outside world until the mission – or the season – is complete.
No social media. No extra interviews. Total concentration only.
This year was not typical.
There was no boost or refill. There was a closure of the NBA season, but no social media or James interviews.
In fact, on Monday, the day before the Los Angeles Lakers playoffs opened, James recorded an interview with Cari Champion and Jemele Hill for their new show on Vice TV, noting, “I don’t let many people see me in my room right now. ” But he wanted to support them in their new venture and discuss his More Than a Vote initiative.
In the bubble, James and the Lakers took some time to get back to the dominant form they had shown before the season was suspended. These are unlike any other playoffs in league history.
James had a triple-double 23-17-16 in Game 1 but came in a defeat that saw him miss his only two free throws in the fourth quarter and make only one field goal in the final seven minutes. Despite a big win in Game 2, James only had 10 points, with more turnovers (six) than field goals (4 of 11).
Ultimately, in the third Western Conference quarter-final game against the Portland Trail Blazers, James seemed to find the dominant flow he showed in 14 other postseason away games.
“I just think about my offensive pace tonight,” James said, creating an elaborate car metaphor that actually worked very well to describe his game, “I was fast, slow, medium-paced at times. It was like a change. Sometimes. I was in gear 1, sometimes in gear 6. To be able to read and react, depending on whether I was on a cruise or in a residential area or on the highway or on a straight road. a car that can go at different speeds and areas, depending on the traffic, is essential “.
James finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists to lead Los Angeles to a 116-108 win over Portland, taking the 2-1 lead in the series. He did this by attacking everything in his path.
“LeBron finally got excited,” Lakers shooting guard Danny Green said. “It’s the first time. … We didn’t have a game where everyone was hot. He was active from start to finish.”
Of course, there’s a pretty direct correlation between James warming up and the rest of the Lakers overheating. As the team’s main ball handler and stroke maker, James has a way to lift all boats during his rising tide. Attack the circle, then the 3-point shoots are open. He hits from 3, then overtakes and cuts the lanes open to everyone else.
On Saturday, James attacked so hard that he pushed Anthony Davis out of another halftime funk. The Lakers big man was quiet in the first half, but Davis scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half.
“I halfway told Bron, I have to take some pressure off him,” Davis said. “I’ve lost a lot of free throws [five of nine first-half attempts]. I didn’t want him to have to lead the team all the time, where he didn’t have to try to go down and score every time.
“He was in attack mode. We need him all the time. When he attacks, it’s our job to take shots.”
James attacked the circle so hard on Saturday that he went to the free throw line 17 times, scoring the most attempts in a post-season match since Game 2 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and his maximum in any match. since he joined the Lakers two summers ago. All nine of James’ fouls in Game 3 resulted in free throws.
There was also a change in James’ shot diet. In the 2018 postseason, he attempted 121 midrange shots (making 59, 48.8%). During three post-season games in 2020, James has yet to attempt a mid-range shot; he attempted 198 such shots in the regular season and was 3-of-17 on midrange shots in seeded matches. In the playoffs it was all in the paint, on the free-throw line and from 3-point distance.
James was 32 in 2017, just a year away from what will likely be considered the greatest achievement of his career: leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA title. He was then still exactly in his prime.
On Saturday, at 35, 236 days old, James overtook Michael Jordan as the oldest player with a 35-10-5 game in the playoffs, according to data from Elias Sports Bureau.
As long as he continues at this level, James’ age will be part of the discussion. When there are moments or encounters against contemporaries, like his good friend Carmelo Anthony, it will seem more meaningful.
But those moments are also points of comparison. Anthony, 36, was excellent for some stretches of Saturday’s game, most notably in the third quarter, when he scored 13 of Portland’s 29 points. Anthony was also one of Portland’s most effective defenders over James in this series, keeping him 4 for 12 from the field with five turnovers.
But Anthony’s big moments are moments. He had 13 points in the third quarter but only seven points in the rest of the game.
On the contrary, James has maintained that level of play the entire time. He concluded the match with a powerful drive over Jusuf Nurkic, Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. for a layup, followed by a terrible triple to extend the Lakers lead to 14.
It was part of a fourth quarter in which James and Davis teamed up to score or watch the Lakers last 21 points of the game.
The Trail Blazers looked exhausted from James’s onslaught, which was especially cruel for a team that has come this far since the NBA season resumed and have gone through so much (a season-end injury to the mighty Zach Collins, the all-star Damian Lillard dislocated Nurkic’s heavy heart and finger after his grandmother’s death from COVID-19).
Portland fell behind in the fourth quarter of all 12 games in Florida but one. There was no comeback against the Lakers on Saturday. If anything, the Lakers defense cracked down on the Trail Blazers even harder in the second half. Los Angeles contested 11 of 12 3-point attempts at Portland, according to Second Spectrum, and held the Trail Blazers 43.2% from the field in the second half.
Later, Anthony recognized that James’ aggressive mindset was a factor.
“We expected,” Anthony said. “I expected him to come out the way he did. He was aggressive. He will continue to be aggressive, so it’s something we know is something we need to be aware of. Game 4 is coming., So we should be aware of it. Tomorrow we go back to the gym, watch the movie, let’s see what we have to do, let’s see what we’ve done wrong, let’s correct those mistakes. Some things are upon us, but we’ll figure it out but we’re thinking about match 4 right now. “
Portland will make some adjustments. The series isn’t over. James knows there is room for improvement, despite the welcome assertiveness.
“I have very careless turnovers where I can improve,” he said. “And when you go to the free throw line, you have to take those free throws. So I have to do a better job with both of us.”
.
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