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Home > Blogs > Upon Further Review > Archives > 2008 > May > 19 > Entry
LeBron James: Legendary performance?
Yesterday afternoon, LeBron James, carrying his team as well as his expectations, scored 45 points in a Game 7 of an NBA playoff series. He played more than 46 minutes, made 14-of-29 shots and 14-of-19 free throws.
In the same game, Boston’s Paul Pierce scored 41 points in almost 44 minutes. Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy wonders if that duel will become legendary:
In the pantheon of great performances in losing efforts against the Celtics, LeBron’s Sunday Tour De Force was worthy of anything submitted by Bob Pettit, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, or Michael Jordan. And if you’re a local hoop fan over the age of 30, it was impossible to watch Paul Pierce (41 points) and LeBron duel without remembering Larry Bird vs. Dominique Wilkins, circa 1988.
“These fans finally have an opportunity to forget a little bit about what Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins did, and remember what Paul and LeBron did,” said James, who was 3 years old when Larry and ‘Nique matched buckets in a Game 7 in the Old Garden.
With the availability of sports content live and in high definition, we have too many legendary performances. It’s easy, for instance, if you were watching Adam Dunn hit a game-winning, three-run home run on Saturday against the Indians (not to pick on Cleveland) to say, “I’ve never seen anything like it!” Emotions run high when you get caught up in the moment.
Will this one stand the test of time? Or should it?
It was a big stage, indeed, although it could’ve been bigger. It was, after all, a quarterfinal series.
It helps that LeBron went toe-to-toe with another player, especially another very good player. We love dueling performances more than we love standalone greatness (for instance, we want Tiger to fight for a championship more than we want him to win by 13 strokes).
I’ll admit, though, that I didn’t see much of Game 7. I came to it at the end, when the graphics flashed that LeBron had already scored 44 points as he headed to the free throw line. So, for me, his performance will be a taller tale. When I ask someone how he got to 44 points, I’ll likely get exaggerated answers. If I had instead just watched the game, it might not been as impressive.
Only time will tell if we recall this game five years from now. In the present, though, it seems like one we might remember for years.
As Shaughnessy said:
My favorite moment of this series came midway though the third quarter yesterday when LeBron and Pierce engaged in a brief, almost collegial exchange during a pause in play. Both smiled after the short conversation, then resumed carrying their respective teams in one of the great duels in Boston sports history.
It reminded me of a chat involving Pete Rose and Carlton Fisk in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The Red Sox and Reds were making history, one great play at a time - perhaps the most important baseball game of the 20th century - when Rose stepped into the batter’s box at Fenway Park, turned to Fisk, and said, “This is some kind of game, isn’t it.”
It is the whisper of stars. It is rare. And we saw it yesterday in one of the best duels in the New, or Old, Boston Garden.
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