This past Friday, we said this about LeBron James: "And as we saw late in the game against the Lakers, he has the tendency to miss crucial free throws down the stretch."
Basically, that was a polite way of saying LeBron's late game heroics may have been lacking.
As if on cue against Golden State late Friday night, LeBron hit the third game-winner of his career (according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst) after the most recent Race to the MVP hit the web. Some would attribute James' jumper as an answer to Hall of Famer Rick Barry, who criticized that same J as untrustworthy.
As you can imagine, LeBron's last-second heroics pleased Cavs fans on many levels.
You're welcome, Cavs fans. Actually, we should thank LeBron. With that last-second shot and his near triple-double in Cleveland's win over Utah on Saturday, King James' actions confirmed our words from Friday: no player in the league is playing better ball this season.
However, one pretty 20-foot game winner does not make LeBron's jumper any more reliable. On one level, I still agree with Barry as I did two years ago when I did a 15-minute segment with him and Rick Kamla every Wednesday on Sirius satellite radio. Even the great ones had areas in which they could improve. For LeBron, it's his jumper. There's no shame in saying that work needs to be done. The great ones, often perfectionists, work on those problem areas.
Awards and Honors
LebRon James awards and honors:
NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004
NBA Scoring Champion: 2008
2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008
5-time NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
4-time All-NBA:
First Team: 2006, 2008
Second Team: 2005, 2007
Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games
Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games
Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship
Gold medal with Team USA, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship
NBA Rookie of the Year: 2004
NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2004
NBA Scoring Champion: 2008
2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2006, 2008
5-time NBA All-Star: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
4-time All-NBA:
First Team: 2006, 2008
Second Team: 2005, 2007
Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games
Gold medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games
Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship
Gold medal with Team USA, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship
Lebron James 2009
On October 29, 2008, James gathered almost 20,000 people at the Quicken Loans Arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's 30-minute American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.
Lebron James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will also act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted.
Avant-garde guitarist Buckethead honoured James' 24th birthday with two new songs on his website. His earlier song "King James" from Crime Slunk Scene (2006) is also dedicated to James.
There has recently been an ad played on TV and the internet, including a YouTube channel which features Lebron James from behind making an announcement to a crowded room (supposedly full of media) that he will "follow his first love". The spot ends with the words "Brace Yourself" flashed across the screen and the date January 18, 2009. There has been much speculation over what this may be for, including a Nike promotion. Some people think that James will return to playing football. He was a top receiver on his high school football team and was recruited by virtually every school in the country. The ad aired on Sunday, January 18, as an advertisement for State Farm Insurance.
James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of GQ magazine.
Lebron James and Ice Cube have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James' life. James will also act as executive producer if the show is greenlighted.
Avant-garde guitarist Buckethead honoured James' 24th birthday with two new songs on his website. His earlier song "King James" from Crime Slunk Scene (2006) is also dedicated to James.
There has recently been an ad played on TV and the internet, including a YouTube channel which features Lebron James from behind making an announcement to a crowded room (supposedly full of media) that he will "follow his first love". The spot ends with the words "Brace Yourself" flashed across the screen and the date January 18, 2009. There has been much speculation over what this may be for, including a Nike promotion. Some people think that James will return to playing football. He was a top receiver on his high school football team and was recruited by virtually every school in the country. The ad aired on Sunday, January 18, as an advertisement for State Farm Insurance.
James appeared on the cover of the February 2009 edition of GQ magazine.
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