Nivek wrote:Maybe what Lebron means is that if folks think he's been coasting, wait till Wednesday and then he'll show them what coasting REALLY looks like.
Maybe?
Gotta say, it's amusing to hear the "coasting" accusations pointed at a guy who's producing at an MVP level...again. I have Paul and Durant rated barely ahead of him through Sunday's games. That said, even if he stops "coasting," and surges past those guys, he still probably won't get MVP because narrative.
Interesting.
Now consider this: The Heat have been 7.6 points per 100 possessions worse defensively with James on the floor, according to NBA.com. With him on the floor, the Heat have allowed 103.9 points per 100 possessions, which would rank 19th in the NBA. With him off the floor, the Heat have improved to 96.3 points allowed per 100 possessions, which would rank just behind the Indiana Pacers for second-best in the league.
It might be hard to believe that this is the same guy who drew Defensive Player of the Year buzz last season, but James' work on the defensive end has fallen off dramatically.
And it's not just the on-court/off-court numbers, either. James is currently blocking 0.3 shots per 36 minutes. That's less than half his career rate. Same as Kyle Korver, Stephen Curry and Matt Bonner. Fewer per minute than Kyrie Irving, Mo Williams and John Wall.
"I haven't gotten many chase-down blocks this year," James says. "Guys aren't challenging me as much. I mean, I've had a couple guys turn around and actually dribble the ball out."
That's true to some extent. James points to specific examples involving Landry Fields a few games ago, and J.J. Redikk, who pulled up for an awkward midrange jumper on a fast break and clanked it in November. But those are the exception rather than the rule. It's almost unbelievable that a player of James' off-the-charts athleticism and instincts has yet to tally two blocks in the same game this season.
James' steal rate has also tumbled, dropping to a career-low 1.3 per 36 minutes.
"I don't know why my blocks and steals are down, not quite sure," James says before joking, "Rio [Mario Chalmers] and D-Wade [Dwyane Wade] are always stealing everything. That's where my steals have gone."
Is James coasting?
By all accounts, James is a basketball genius. But there's a difference between what he can do and what he has done this season.
James can consistently guard positions 1 through 5, but that doesn't mean he has consistently guarded 1 through 5 this season. James can take over a game at will, but that doesn't mean he has taken over games at his will.
The impetus to do so, though, may not be there yet. The Heat are sitting comfortably as the No. 2 seed in a dreadful Eastern Conference, with a 7.5-game buffer in the standings and still within reach of the Pacers.
And consider the mileage. Counting preseason, regular season and postseason, James has played more games than any NBA player since joining the Heat back in 2010 -- 340 games and nearly 13,000 minutes in all.
