Can Lebron James keep this up?

nbafan38 · Post #1 » by **nbafan38** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:05 pm

32 years old and still showed last night why he is the king and best player in the nba. He's a top 5 of all time player partly because of the longevity of how great he's been and how many different ways he can impact a game. Can he keep this up throughout the postseason and how many more seasons can he play this great? He's got a lot of wear and tear oh his body but is such a physical specimen that it wouldn't surprise me if he's still a big force even in his mid 30s.

Amare_1_Knicks · Post #2 » by **Amare_1_Knicks** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:10 pm

We could be looking at the greatest basketball athlete of all time. At 34, Kobe was still going strong in terms of his play, impact, numbers and even though his athleticism had certainly waned by then he wasn't a shell of himself or anything. So we're two years out from that with Lebron, but I fully expect him to remain healthier into his older age. He seems to have less wear and tear on him, and is clearly the more impressive physical specimen, particularly pertaining to his durability.

RCM88x · Post #3 » by **RCM88x** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:16 pm

I was thinking about this as well last night... "is this the last elite playoff run we'll see from him?" I thought to myself.

But then I remembered that people have been saying that for the last 2-3 years so who knows. I could just as easily see him decline after this season as I could see him remain elite for the next 2 or 3 years.

Post #4 » by **jbk1234** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:18 pm

I'm just enjoying the journey man.

Torchmode · Post #5 » by **Torchmode** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:24 pm

No way he keeps this up. This is probably his last great year, enjoy it while you can he has been great for the game.

LastNameEver · Post #6 » by **LastNameEver** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:24 pm

RCM88x wrote:I was thinking about this as well last night... "is this the last elite playoff run we'll see from him?" I thought to myself.

But then I remembered that people have been saying that for the last 2-3 years so who knows. I could just as easily see him decline after this season as I could see him remain elite for the next 2 or 3 years.

2-3 years ? LeBron is going to sustain himself well into his late 30's.

Something is not normal about this guy. When he has a brutal fall or ankle sprain it wears off within minutes.

nbafan38 · Post #7 » by **nbafan38** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:26 pm

Torchmode wrote:No way he keeps this up. This is probably his last great year, enjoy it while you can he has been great for the game.

Well we know that's what warrior fans hope lol but we'll see.

HurricaneKid · Post #8 » by **HurricaneKid** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:31 pm

Amare_1_Knicks wrote:We could be looking at the greatest basketball athlete of all time. At 34, Kobe was still going strong in terms of his play, impact, numbers and even though his athleticism had certainly waned by then he wasn't a shell of himself or anything. So we're two years out from that with Lebron, but I fully expect him to remain healthier into his older age. He seems to have less wear and tear on him, and is clearly the more impressive physical specimen, particularly pertaining to his durability.

That's being pretty kind. They squeaked into the playoffs his Y34 season and got swept in the 1st round. That was the year he tore his Achilles and was never the same again. He did not get to the Conference Finals after his 32nd BDay.

LeBron is still playing at GOD tier.

Warchant · Post #9 » by **Warchant** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:32 pm

Amare_1_Knicks wrote:We could be looking at the greatest basketball athlete of all time. At 34, Kobe was still going strong in terms of his play, impact, numbers and even though his athleticism had certainly waned by then he wasn't a shell of himself or anything. So we're two years out from that with Lebron, but I fully expect him to remain healthier into his older age. He seems to have less wear and tear on him, and is clearly the more impressive physical specimen, particularly pertaining to his durability.

You cant even compare Kobe and LB's game....LB is either drive to the basket or shoot a long jumper...he doesnt have an intermediate game he can rely on so if LB loses his quickness he will b done as an elite scorer

BasketballFan7 · Post #10 » by **BasketballFan7** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:33 pm

The Boy wrote:
RCM88x wrote:I was thinking about this as well last night... "is this the last elite playoff run we'll see from him?" I thought to myself.

But then I remembered that people have been saying that for the last 2-3 years so who knows. I could just as easily see him decline after this season as I could see him remain elite for the next 2 or 3 years.

2-3 years ? LeBron is going to sustain himself well into his late 30's.

Something is not normal about this guy. When he has a brutal fall or ankle sprain it wears off within minutes.

It's always insane watching him hurt his ankle and shake it off almost immediately.

red_power · Post #11 » by **red_power** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:48 pm

Assuming that Champion Rings doesn't put any effort on defense anymore unless it's absolutely necessary.. I guess he would maintain his current playing level for considerable amount of time.

RaptorRed · Post #12 » by **RaptorRed** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:48 pm

It's a mystery because he has been a freak of nature his entire career. We just have to wait and see. It will be very sad once it happens though, seeing him struggle will be hard to watch

jeffjtk1234 · Post #13 » by **jeffjtk1234** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:49 pm

Warchant wrote:
Amare_1_Knicks wrote:We could be looking at the greatest basketball athlete of all time. At 34, Kobe was still going strong in terms of his play, impact, numbers and even though his athleticism had certainly waned by then he wasn't a shell of himself or anything. So we're two years out from that with Lebron, but I fully expect him to remain healthier into his older age. He seems to have less wear and tear on him, and is clearly the more impressive physical specimen, particularly pertaining to his durability.

You cant even compare Kobe and LB's game....LB is either drive to the basket or shoot a long jumper...he doesnt have an intermediate game he can rely on so if LB loses his quickness he will b done as an elite scorer

If Lebron wanted to dominate in the post he would. He basically carried the cavs to two wins in the 2015 finals by working in the post. His game doesn't solely rely on his quickness.

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RaptorRed · Post #14 » by **RaptorRed** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:51 pm

jeffjtk1234 wrote:
Warchant wrote:
Amare_1_Knicks wrote:We could be looking at the greatest basketball athlete of all time. At 34, Kobe was still going strong in terms of his play, impact, numbers and even though his athleticism had certainly waned by then he wasn't a shell of himself or anything. So we're two years out from that with Lebron, but I fully expect him to remain healthier into his older age. He seems to have less wear and tear on him, and is clearly the more impressive physical specimen, particularly pertaining to his durability.

You cant even compare Kobe and LB's game....LB is either drive to the basket or shoot a long jumper...he doesnt have an intermediate game he can rely on so if LB loses his quickness he will b done as an elite scorer

If Lebron wanted to dominate in the post he would. He basically carried the cavs to two wins in the 2015 finals by working in the post. His game doesn't solely rely on his quickness.

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Yeah he will have to do a lot more of that once his athleticism goes away

TheDavinciCHODE · Post #15 » by **TheDavinciCHODE** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:52 pm

Can this board keep this up? Even in this board's 14th consecutive season, it continues to chug right alone, posting yet another thread about Lebron James and his abilities.

How many "when will Lebron decline" type threads have we had in the last month?

On a serious note, it was quite the performance by the King

The_Hater · Post #16 » by **The_Hater** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:54 pm

Lots of great NBA players have still been great at age 32 so this is a question that needs to be asked again in 2-3 years. Playing at your peak past age 35 may have never been done. Jordan won his last title at 35. Karl Malone was quite good but slipping. Nash, Dirk, Kobe, Kareem, Duncan were all past their peaks.

nbafan38 · Post #17 » by **nbafan38** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:04 pm

The_Hater wrote:Lots of great NBA players have still been great at age 32 so this is a question that needs to be asked again in 2-3 years. Playing at your peak past age 35 may have never been done. Jordan won his last title at 35. Karl Malone was quite good but slipping. Nash, Dirk, Kobe, Kareem, Duncan were all past their peaks.

Duncan was still playing great in the 2013 and 2014 finals although yea not at his peak level for sure.

RaptorRed · Post #18 » by **RaptorRed** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:05 pm

nbafan38 wrote:
The_Hater wrote:Lots of great NBA players have still been great at age 32 so this is a question that needs to be asked again in 2-3 years. Playing at your peak past age 35 may have never been done. Jordan won his last title at 35. Karl Malone was quite good but slipping. Nash, Dirk, Kobe, Kareem, Duncan were all past their peaks.

Duncan was still playing great in the 2013 and 2014 finals although yea not at his peak level for sure.

No he wasn't. Define great ? He was missing layups even.

nbafan38 · Post #19 » by **nbafan38** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:11 pm

RaptorRed wrote:
nbafan38 wrote:
The_Hater wrote:Lots of great NBA players have still been great at age 32 so this is a question that needs to be asked again in 2-3 years. Playing at your peak past age 35 may have never been done. Jordan won his last title at 35. Karl Malone was quite good but slipping. Nash, Dirk, Kobe, Kareem, Duncan were all past their peaks.

Duncan was still playing great in the 2013 and 2014 finals although yea not at his peak level for sure.

No he wasn't. Define great ? He was missing layups even.

He averaged 18.9 points in the series in 2013 at age 36 which was the leading scorer on the team and I remember him carrying the spurs during game 6 of the finals (the game with Allen's heroics)

MrCheerios · Post #20 » by **MrCheerios** » Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:13 pm

Kobe was dominant until the Achilles tear at 34 years old. Jordan averaged 20/7 playing 82 games and 37mpg at 40 years old. Yes, Lebron can keep this up for a long time should he avoid injury. He's one of the best conditioned players in the league with a very high athletic ceiling. He's also strong and has length, which aren't going away any time soon. It's obvious that he coasts during the regular season, so he's avoiding the normal wear and tear.