James steps up again

The problem with measuring LeBron James’ latest accomplishments is that the standards no longer fit. At 41, he has outlived the usual comparisons, exceeded the expected expiration date for aging athletes, and rendered the same old, same old debates almost quaint. As he noted in the aftermath of his closeout performance against the Rockets, “I’m kicking [Father Time’s] ass.” And he certainly has the right to boast after posting a stat line of 28, eight, and seven to lead the Lakers’ charge into the second round of the playoffs.

It wasn’t just the numbers, of course, as sterling as they may have been; it was more his orchestration of the Lakers’ 98-78 demolition of the supposedly superior Rockets. The purple and gold did not merely survive a tense first-round series; they advanced because, when the pressure tightened after consecutive missed closeout opportunities, he stepped up once again to dictate the terms of engagement. Little wonder, then, that he received major props from his teammates as they celebrated their series victory in the locker room. Greatness was on display anew.

To be sure, there were moments when conventional wisdom wavered. The Rockets had clawed back from an 0-3 deficit to force uncertainty into the equation, aided by the Lakers’ uneven offense and the physical wear that inevitably follows James at this stage of his career. Reports before Game Six had already framed the situation in anxious terms, with concerns swirling over the mileage he was accumulating deep into his third decade in the National Basketball Association.

James’ response to the doubts? Vintage. He scored 14 points in the second quarter alone, effectively burying the Rockets before halftime, and set the defensive tone that head coach JJ Redick later described as contagious. The Lakers followed his lead because he inspires confidence, and because no other basketball reality had ever made more sense to them. In him they trusted. And with him they were rewarded.

Needless to say, the turn of events compels a circling back of the conversation to legacy, though even the word is insufficient at best in capturing the depth and breadth of James’ influence. The temptation is always to reduce his body of work to the tired arithmetic of championships, Finals records, or comparisons with fellow Rushmore resident Michael Jordan. Yet longevity at the level of the best of the best alters the framework entirely.

Make no mistake. Jordan’s peak remains mythic. In contrast, James’ reach stretches across eras, styles, rule changes, and generations of opponents. He is no longer simply compiling statistics. He is transcending relevance. Which may be why contemporary discussions about the “greatest career” increasingly separate themselves from the staid “greatest player” arguments. The distinction matters. Dominance can be concentrated. Sustained excellence over 23 seasons, and still functioning as the emotional and tactical center of contenders, is another matter altogether.

The irony, of course, is that James now plays with evident restraint. The athletic detonations come less frequently, with possessions chosen more carefully and entire stretches spent reading rather than overwhelming. That said, the remarkable discipline has become a formidable weapon. Against the Rockets, for instance, the Lakers appeared most settled when he slowed the game into his preferred rhythm: probing, organizing, waiting for the precise moment to attack. There is a cruelty to playoff battles that experience understands instinctively. He has spent so many springs burning rubber that calm is his default stance even in the crunch.

And so the Lakers are slated to face the Thunder, who have fresher legs and younger stars, and who, it must be noted, have the Larry O’Brien Trophy in their mantel. Logic insists on a steep climb for them. All the same, there is abject futility in declaring an imminent end for James. The league has spent the better part of the last decade anticipating his decline, only to watch him answer with another closeout game, another playoff run, another reminder that history continues to unfold. In short, he has made defying age a sustainable art.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.