Epic
Posted: May 28th, 2009 | Filed under: Other Sports | 41 Comments »
Well, I never saw anything like that before.
Sure, like every football fan, I saw Kellen Winslow against Miami, exhausted, bleeding, spent — someplace close to dying — come back on the field again and again, catch another pass, block a field goal, catch another pass. It was 1982. Winslow had a pinched nerve, and he was cramping, and he had a bloody lip, and he had to be carried off the field. And he stumbled back on. He caught 13 passes in that playoff game, he scored a touchdown, he would not relent.
But I still never saw anything like that before.
Yes, I saw George Brett, 1985, his team down to Toronto two games to none, and he told his teammates, “Climb on back for this one” In the first inning he hit a home run. In the fourth he hit one high off the wall for a double. In the sixth, with his team down 5-3, he hit another home run. In the eighth, with the score tied, he singled, went to second on a bunt, went to third on a groundout, scored the game winner on a single. And somewhere in all that he made perhaps the greatest defensive play of his life, throwing out Damaso Garcia at the plate. The Royals won, and they won the World Series, and it’s hard to imagine one player doing more to make it happen.
But I still never saw anything like that before.
Yes, I saw Ali come back from the dead in the 14th round to knock the mouthpiece out of Frazier’s mouth, and I saw Tiger Woods win a U.S. Open on one leg, and I saw Sampras vomit in the fifth set at the U.S. Open and then go on to victory, and I saw Michael Jordan make the big shot time and again.
No, I never saw anything like LeBron James in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic Thursday. I have no idea if Cleveland has enough to go into Orlando and win Saturday. My mind tells me it will be tough. My mind tells me that even on Thursday — a game Cleveland won by 10 — Orlando was the more complete team, the better coached team, the more resilient team, the more confident team. My mind tells me that TNT’s Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley are right when they say that nobody alive, nobody, can do THAT again, what LeBron did.
But it’s not my mind that speaks loudest now, not after watching LeBron James play that fourth quarter. He looked beat. He bent over and clung to his shorts — the surest sign, Al McGuire and Billy Packer always assured us viewers, of a man’s exhaustion. He had seemed to grow weary of being a one-man team — all game long, he seemed almost to be PLEADING with his teammates to get involved, to make some shots, to help him help them. At first, they did make some shots. The Cavaliers led by 22. Then they didn’t make shots. Orlando rushed back and trailed by one at halftime. The Cleveland pace slowed. The crowd noise deadened. LeBron was brilliant but consumed. The Magic led by eight early in the third quarter.
And then … that fourth quarter. The numbers are the numbers — the Cavaliers scored 34 points, and LeBron James had a hand in 32 of them. He scored 17, and he dished four assists, and he grabbed four rebounds. To see it: Mind blowing. Every time down, the Cavaliers would get the ball to James around the free throw line. He would hold the ball, look over the court, and you wondered if he could even move he looked so tired. You could see him just stand there, and it was almost as if you could hear the thought in his mind: “Damn it, why does it have to be me again?”
And then, “Who else could it be?”
And he drove, hard, time after time, he attacked, and he waited for all five men to collapse on him. And when they did, he would sometimes toss it out to Daniel Gibson or Mo Williams or someone else who stood behind the three-point line, alone wide open. Other times, he would keep going to the basket, take off, take the inevitable punishment, shake off the defenders, try to put the ball in the basket. This wasn’t, as announcers would say, Superman doing superhero work. No. Superman is impervious. With LeBron, You could see that every foul hurt, every step was exhausting, every move was made with the weight of an entire city on his shoulder.
Still, he kept on going, kept scoring, kept making the passes, kept blowing minds. Who can keep up that pace? Who can take on five defenders every time down the floor? Who can carry a city that has not won a championship in 45 years?
LeBron’s final numbers: 37 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists — not just a Triple Double, but a Triple Dozen … here is the list of players in the last 20 years who have managed 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in a playoff game:
1. LeBron James, May 28, 2009.
2. Nobody else.
There have been other great playoff performances, of course, and it’s always easy in the rush of the present to forget about those, to leave behind Jerry West or Dr. J, to leave behind Bird vs. Dominique or the Magic baby hook or Tim Duncan’s quieter brilliance or Michael two dozen times, to leave behind Dwayne Wade or Steve Nash or Kobe and Shaq or Paul Pierce just one year ago.
I’m not saying this was fundamentally different from those, except maybe it was a little different. it is becoming clearer and clearer that Orlando has some sort of Cavaliers kryptonite. Maybe it’s the match-ups, maybe it’s the coaching, maybe it’s the size factor, but whatever the reason the Cavaliers never look good against Orlando, and they hardly ever beat the Magic. The Cavaliers won Thursday, but after the game ended, Charles Barkley was stuck between awe and disgust. “That was too hard,” he said, and those were the perfect words. That was too hard. LeBron James had beaten Orlando singlehandedly. And it was too hard.
But for one night, LeBron did it. And it was epic. it was like LeBron James was saying, “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. But we’re not losing tonight.”
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Great, great post. And so quick after the game! Here’s bettin’ LeBron can do it again Saturday…
No, I never saw anything like LeBron James in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic Thursday.
Sure you have.
LeBron James. Game 5, 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. Scored the Cavs’ last 25 points in an overtime win at the Palace to destroy the Pistons.
Most amazing thing I have ever covered.
Right on the money. It’s almost unfair that he plays for such a poor team and a poor coach. Without LeBron, the Cavs are barely a playoff team.
Dave H, I agree that the 2007 game was spectacular but I think the drama of this being a potential elimination game for the Cavs and the overall level of play from the guys in the series not wearing #23 for Cleveland really ratchets this one up to another level.
I think Brett’s great game was in Game 3 … not Game 4. Otherwise, perfect.
Has any guy ever had less help than James on the way to a title?
You are right about how hard that was. That was the most workmanlike triple double I think you’ll ever see from a superstar. I thought he was really struggling around the 3rd quarter and then I saw he was one assist shy from a triple double. The 4th quarter came and he dominated, but it didn’t feel like the effortless domination that often occurs in the playoffs.
I’ll be in Cleveland for the first time in early June, and I hope the Finals are going on in Cleveland when I’m there. I’d love to be witness.
Spud, I’m sure some guys had less or the same on the way, but no one has ever won a title with a crew like LeBron’s. The dude is 23 and is going to have miles on him like Shaq in a few years if he keeps this up. Sad.
LeBron was truly awesome. But, for me, nothing will ever beat the Michael Jordan Stomach Flu Classic, game 5 against the Jazz, 1997.
Unless LeBron wills the Cavs to a win in this series, and eventual NBA championship, the game 5 performance against Detroit will still stand as one of the greatest individual athletic performances to date. Remember that the Pistons were the best defensive team in the NBA, and LeBron scored AT WILL to finally overcome them. Watching that, as a Pistons fan, was the most unreal thing (sports or otherwise) I’ve ever seen. That was when he realized he could do things like he did tonight.
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“here is the list of players in the last 20 years who have managed 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in a playoff game”
I suppose I’ve read too many HOF discussions, but this sort of thing leaves me wondering about the ones who missed the cutoffs. Are we excluding out someone who went 34/15/15, or 40/20/11?
As a pretty devoted NBA watcher:
Game 2 was Lebrizzle’s biggest shot.
The Pistons Special was his early bildungsroman or whatever the hell its called.
Tonight was awesome, pitting his fatigue and the Cavs newfound/once-again shortcomings against his ever growing IMPERATIVE to get the job done year after year, (and more to the point this year) game after game.
The way a game gets remembered has a lot to do with staging and timing. Lebron didn’t rattle off 28 in a row to overcome a favored team, dind’t ejaculate on a Craig Ehlo. But he did go wild when it was most expected.
The way he rested on Pietrus, rested, waited, cleared with his elbows, rested, sank his torso – resting, lolled, waited, and then pulled all his energy from somewhere in his huge frame, piereced forward and shook back, and effectuated some precise grace through the basketball that directed it thru the air, net, four minutes left.
How he hit drove, drew attention, and then hit Varejao on that shrieking pass for the And One after what preceded that play where he already stepped into a steal, passed, grabbed an offensive rebound, and regrouped the whole play.
How he forced himself – top of the key, all day in the fourth quarter, starting again from scratch – left and then, seemingly halted, blew past Pietrus out-of-nowhere going left to foul out Howard and finish with herky-jerky strength.
EVERYTHING ELSE he did besides!
It was like the end of Godfather I: he shot better than 75 percent from the line w/ all these cats sweating his every move, having come from wherever, all smiling and clapping with incredulous and honest admiration, Hova, Lightning Rod, Golic’s boy, Big Ben.
Very glad I watched tonight, hope you did too! Don’t know if the Cavs can dig it out, but you’ll kick yourself for not watching Lebron if at any point down the road in your life you really enjoy American basketball.
An unfair question: Can Bron Bron touch MJ?
The crazy answer: Keep watching. Hell, Kobe’s always been great, but you ain’t never really truly thought that or seen any reason to keep thinking that. With Lebron? Give him a game or two, see what you think then.
Damn, Thursday night – Game 5 vs. Orlando, 2009. Overheard tomorrow: “Lebron is a beast…”
The Royals were down 3 to 1. It was the first year that the LCS was best of seven, to the sorrow of Toronto fans.
“…Are we excluding out someone who went 34/15/15, or 40/20/11?”
Yeah, that’s almost exactly what’s happening. Charles Barkley went for 43/15/10 in Game 5 of ‘93 Western Conference Finals. Steve Nash went for 34/13/12 in Game 5 of the ‘05 Western Conference Semis. Hell, Brad Daugherty went off for 40/16/9 in ‘92 for the last non-LeBron Cavs team to make the Eastern Conference Finals.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a great performance in a clutch situation for a team that lacks much talent beyond LeBron. But I’m not going to stamp it the greatest playoff performance of the last two decades less than 12 hours after it happened.
They’ve made a good second video for Cleveland’s Dept. of Tourism ad campaign.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM
The only thing that is still missing is our favorite congressman, Rep. Dennis Kucinich. I like how he used to post on this site back when he was running for president. I wonder why he stopped?
A little too quick to stamp “greatest” on it. There have been countless equally great and epic individual performance in sports. They all deserve equal appreciation.
As awesome as it was I have to agree with previous commentors who tabbed Jordan’s 1997 Game 5 and Lebron’s own Game 5 two years ago, both of which came on the road, as just a little more epic than what we saw last night.
“An unfair question: Can Bron Bron touch MJ?”
Some here will disagree but to me LeBron is better right now than Jordan was at age 24 (his spectacular third season), and in fact I think LeBron is the best 24 year old player of all time.
The Royals weren’t facing elimination, as JoePo says, in the 1985 playoffs vs. Toronto when Brett had his terrific game. They were down 2-0 in a 7-game series. Brett’s performance made it 2-1, then KC lost game 4 and won the next three. JoePo often has trouble with basic facts. Perhaps The Machine should go in the Fiction section?
Jordan’s shot over Ehlo became epic because of what happened years afterwards. The Bulls won six titles, so in retrospect we look at that play as the True Beginning for Michael.
Now, I won’t put anything past LeBron — he really could take the Cavs all the way back. But, I think when people look at this series years from now, they’ll see it as the point where LeBron decided he couldn’t win with the coach and cast in Cleveland, so he took his act to MSG to be with Wade and/or Bosh.
Great as James has been, if Orlando bothers to double him at the end of Game 2, this series is most likely already over…
@ 11 & 14
Thanks for posing a great question, and taking the time to find the answer.
When I saw the heading and the opening line, I thought this was going to be a followup on the Champions League final.
Joe wrote:
“here is the list of players in the last 20 years who have managed 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in a playoff game” And LeBron starts and finishes that short list. He didn’t write:
“here is the list of players in the last 20 years who have managed 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in a playoff game (and also players who fell short of one of those but made up for it by strongly exceeding another).” He also didn’t write: “I’ve never ever ever seen a greater playoff performance.” He wrote: “I’ve never seen anything like LeBron James in the fourth quarter.” His ultimate point, I think, was not that statistically this 4th quarter was the greatest performance (although it was pretty darn great), but that emotionally it was.
There are a lot “great” performances in a statistical sense and they can be hard to compare. Then you try to bring the contextual elements in, and it gets even harder. And, of course, everyone’s a fan with unique perspectives and tastes…for instance, I’ve never “enjoyed” a performance more than Reggie Miller’s cold-blooded, Spike Lee taunting, 25-point fourth quarter versus the Knicks in MSG. I don’t even know why…maybe because I am a very poor (actually, completely destitute) man’s Reggie, a guy with a really good outside shot and not a ton else to bring to the party. Similarly, Joe’s a Cleveland guy, so of course there’s a chance he’s a “bit” biased here.
I think Jordan’s 63 point game was a lot like LeBron’s completely preposterous outburst vs. Detroit. Those were games where I watched a savant at work, and thought “other people just can’t physically do this” and where you realize you’re watching blatant history. But last night’s fourth quarter was more like Jordan’s stomach flu game, where you watched something even more immortal…a guy rising about circumstances (in LeBron’s case, the aggregate of exhaustion, a potential city-crippling home elimination, a second (and at times, third or fourth)-rate supporting cast, a peaking Magic team with “kryptonite,” and on and on) to just do something that shouldn’t have happened.
So who knows what the greatest game, or even quarter, is…I wasn’t even alive in 1962, so I have no idea what Elgin Baylor’s 61 pt, 22 reb Game 5 of the Finals “felt” like. I’ve never seen Bill Russell play, or a young Lew/Kareem, and my memory is fuzzy even of Bird/Magic/Dr. J’s early 1980s battles. That’s why I hold Jordan up as the clear standard of greatness (“Michael two dozen times” summed that up nicely, Joe). No one’s even come close…I personally think Hakeem, in his own way, was closer than Kobe is, but that’s just me (and both were still light years away). But LeBron is moving closer to that level, and a lot faster than most people would have dreamed of. As a fan, I am praying that he can drag this series back to Cleveland for Game 7 because man oh man would that be something to see!
To quote Vince Lombardi:
“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious. ”
Now aside from the use of war terminology for sporting events, which is apparently verboten nowadays, this aptly sums up Lebron last night (or Kellen Winslow in 1982)
He certainly got a little help from David Stern’s PR Machine – also known as the officiating crew.
The miracle comeback against the Magic and coronation of an absurdly overhyped and flawed player will be complete as soon as the officials for Game 6 are announced.
I tuned in just in time to see the last 8 minutes or so of the game. Amazing performance. As tired as LeBron looked down the stretch, he kept willing himself to make play after play. Great post.
@ 19. I probably shouldn’t take the bait, but I hope you’re being sarcastic. It’s a blog, and he quickly posted after the game. Typos will happen. Instead, appreciate the great writing.
I know the NBA has officiating problems that need to be fixed, but comments like Nitpicker’s just drive me insane. Save your gripes for a time when they’re actually deserved and find a way to enjoy some great playoff moments.
Yes, it was a magnificent performance. Yes, LeBron looked tired and utterly spent. Yes, his supporting cast on a good day makes the team roughly as balanced as Elvis & The Jordanaires.
No, it wasn’t the greatest performance of all time. As with several others, I say that the Michael Jordan flu game was better — he was tired AND sick. Even better than that was Tiger’s performance at the U.S. Open last year — he was tired AND playing with a broken leg and torn ligaments AND it took FOUR days that wound up being FIVE-plus because of the Monday playoff that went to extra holes.
But most of all, it wasn’t the Thrilla in Manila. As Ali said after the fight, “This’ll kill you. This is next to death.” I’m sorry, but an NBA playoff game is NOWHERE near as tough as being punched by a professional heavyweight (much less one as powerful as Joe Frazier) — AND doing it in an arena with NO air conditioning, on a sunny day (started at 10:45AM local time) when the temperature peaked at 107 and the humidity was probably higher.
Sorry, Joe, I think your letting your Cleveland roots color your perception.
“Absurdly overhyped and flawed player”.
Lebron had the 2nd best efficiency season of all time this year (trailing only Jordan). How is he overhyped? People like Derek Jeter and Brett Favre are overhyped. When you back up hype with results, there’s no “over” to it.
The flawed part is laughable. Lebron has less flaws in his game than anyone since Jordan.
I agree that it is way too early to view last night’s performance historically. Suffice it to say it was great and someday we’ll know where to put it.
In response to Spud #5, i think the player who most carried a team to an NBA championship without help has to be Hakeem in the first championship year. Rookie Sam cassell was probably the 2nd best player on the team…
I’m not saying he isn’t ridiculous and all but James is great at bulldozing the defender on his way to the hoop. It is remarkable that he can do it. I just don’t know how it isn’t a foul.
Tank Garbonzo #31 –
I would say that the James bulldozer move is not a foul in roughly the same way the Patrick Ewing hop-skip-and-jump move was not traveling.
JeffSol @#30:
Clyde the Glide was traded to that Rocket’s team halfway through the season, so I think he was the 2nd best player on that team and even at 32 years old, I would rate him better than anything Lebron is working with this year.
JeffSol:
My apologies, you are right, I was thinking of the second season. That was a bunch of crap that Hakeem was carrying with him to the Championship in the first year.
David in NYC, thanks for clearing that up for me.
Give me a break…
The NBA has become the WWE.
It’s all about pushing the stars, and the stars get (or don’t get) calls.
Lebron is called King for a reason…and SVG is correct, all he has to DO is get in the paint and he gets fouled.
You say you haven’t seen this before, then you’re not watching the NBA.
it would be nice if someone did a “scholarly” study of whether stars actually get more calls than deserved. in the era of multiple camera angles, dvr’s, season packages, slow motion, etc. the raw materials are there to do a creative study. i watch a lot of games, and personally i think lebron gets a lot of calls because he (1) gets into the lane at will, from anywhere on the court, (2) has ridiculous body control and hang time, (3) can attack anyone from any angle, including the likes of dwight howard, and (4) is as good as anyone at running the break from either the middle or wing. yes, stars shoot more free throws, but part of me (the less cynical half) attributes this to some of the skills that make them starts in the first place, not just their status as stars. guys like d-wade, lebron, devin harris, and melo are constantly attacking the paint, and can take anybody guarding them off the dribble (and are all pretty fearless at going to the rack)…so it’s no surprise they shoot more free throws than other guys. we also might notice some stars getting calls more, because of the preexisting attitude that they get too many calls in the first place. i don’t think the refs are nearly as bad as others do (e.g., simmons and his bi-weekly gripe sessions) but maybe they are, maybe they aren’t…those are just my impressions. all in all it would be nice if a stathead with ridiculous amounts of time used game footage to do some sort of actual study so that this alleged “pushing the stars” agenda could either be substantiated or refuted.
Other than Mo Williams, no one on the Cavs is fit to play with LeBron. You would think that they would have someone, anyone, to slow Howard down, but no. Three consecutive dunks on three possessions to begin Game Four’s overtime. Seemingly no one interested in just getting in the way. Disgusting.
Nitpicker, you are aptly named. James is the real deal. Hype for this guy is not necessary.
I don’t think Lebron gets enough calls. He’s so big that normal fouls don’t faze him, and he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt.
Look at the regular season. On an average of 4 less shot attempts per game, Kevin Martin somehow averaged more free throws than Lebron James.
If you breathe on skinny, little Kevin Martin, he’s falling down, getting the foul call, and heading to the line.
Lebron is harder to ref than Shaq.
@ 38 – I think Delonte West can play at that level as well, but everybody on the Cavs needs to be down a peg… Mo Williams needs to be the third best player rather than the second, etc… They need an athletic big more than anything right now, at least to match up with the Magic. The fact that they need Z on the offensive end and that he is worthless on the defensive end in this series is the Magic’s “kryptonite” IMO.
From lifelong Cub fan:
Steve Garvey 1984 playoff game 4 – drove in runs in 4 consecutive at bats, including walkoff homer in elimination game.
But as far as being spent and still going, the only thing that beats Kellen Winslow is Jordan in the flu game.