LeBron James is and may always be his team's go-to guy. Even as a teen, he was dragging his teammates to a victory by himself, figuratively and, at times, literally).
As the Cavs continue on with their ragged playoff series with Chicago, not much has changed. With Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao out and Kyrie Irving dealign with injuries in both legs, the Cavs' championship odds continue to fall. Even with James, playing like the superstar we've always known.
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Amidst a 2-2 series tie, Sunday's game 4 matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls saw a brilliant performance from the NBA's best player. LeBron James finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists. LeBron James also finished with 8 turnovers, shot 10-30 from the field and 1-7 from the 3-point line. He also did this to close the game:
Turns of phrase like "I couldn't have done it without my teammates" are uttered in most NBA locker rooms, usually by the team's star player. James has been a team-first guy his entire career, often filling quote sheets with those types of statements. But with a player of James' caliber, it's easy for viewers to forget just how true a statement that is.
Still, the Cavs need James. They need him on the floor. The numbers bare that out. In wins:
Even losses, the Cavs have been at their best when King James has been on the floor.
But not even LeBron James can do it alone. This year's Eastern Conference playoffs are no exception.
Take Sunday's Game 4. James was shooting poorly and needed help, turning to center Timofey Mozgov and shooting guard J.R. Smith to help lessen the load while Irving hobbled. Mozgov was crucial early in the game:
Mozgov's impact came on both ends throughout the game, while Smith came up big in the 4th quarter. He hit three 3-pointers over a stretch where LeBron was whiffing, a common occurance that afternoon. Without Smith's big stretch and Mozgov's dependability on both ends throughout the game, James never would have had a chance to hit the big game-winner at the buzzer to tie up the series.
The Game 2 blowout came was James' property as well. But again, two supporting cast scorers came up big: James Jones and Iman Shumpert. The Cavs also held the Bulls to fewer than 95 points and less than 42 percent shooting in both victories.
Power forward Tristan Thompson, meanwhile, has been the Cavs' most consistent postseason presence. The elite offensive rebounder is averaging 7.5 points and 8.4 rebounds a game in the postseason and has started the past three games after being a sixth man most of the season. He has a positive plus/minus in every game of this second-round series.
Maybe these guys are putting up these big games as a direct result of James' brilliance. He draws so much attention from defenses that it spreads the floor, and he has averaged 7.8 assists a game in the postseason. Maybe it's David Blatt, who gets criticized often and says bizarre things sometimes but is a veteran basketball coach even as an NBA rookie. Maybe it's because Thompson, Mozgov, Smith, Shumpert, James Jones and the rest are NBA-caliber players with a sense for the moment.
But most likely, it's all of those things. And that's how it needs to be. No one can do it alone, not even LeBron James.