LeBron continues fourth quarter dominanceLeBron has heard all the jokes and it hasn't seemed to bother his play at all this season. Despite the breathless criticism that he vanishes in fourth quarters, his player efficiency rating (PER) in the fourth quarter (33.1) is much higher than his overall PER this season (30.8).
In fact, only one other player in the league has been better in the fourth quarter and that's his pal Chris Paul.First, let us bow down before the all mighty Chris Paul. Sheesh.
The Lob City point guard has been supernatural in the fourth quarter this season. If Paul does what he does in the fourth quarter for an entire game, here's his statline: 28.7 points, 8.2 assists, 3.2 steals on 50 percent shooting per 36 minutes. It all adds up to an astronomical 38.7 PER. For those wondering, Kobe Bryant finished with the 13th-highest PER in fourth quarters with 25.0, right behind Kevin Garnett.
Coming in second is LeBron. The fourth quarter actually isn't his best quarter; he dominates the second quarter more than anyone. (Sidenote: LeBron and Wade rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the second frame). But the dominance on Thursday night is just another data point in a season-long trend. LeBron has been just as electric in the fourth quarter as the rest of the game and perhaps even moreso.
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN
1.) Chris Paul - 38.7
2.) LeBron James - 33.1
3.) Kyrie Irving - 31.4
4.) Derrick Rose - 30.8
5.) Kenneth Faried - 28.7
6.) Kevin Durant - 28.2
7.) Andrew Bynum - 27.0
8.) Kevin Love - 26.8
9.) Greg Monroe - 26.6
10.) Tony Parker - 26.3
