LeBron “King” James achieved two triple-double milestones last night as the Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Detroit Pistons.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James put up eye-popping numbers in an exhilarating fashion last night as he notched his 8th triple-double of the season and his 50th triple-double of his career.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/840216691770552320
James matched his career-high in triple-doubles for a season after last night, as he also recorded eight triple-doubles in both the 2007-08 season and 2008-09 season. James also has a new career-high in dunks he recorded in a single game after throwing it down 8 times last night.
His previous career-high was 7 dunks, a feat he accomplished eight years ago.
We mentioned LeBron's 7 dunks..that ties a career high..his most in a game in over 8 years..
— Fred McLeod (@CavsFredMcLeod) March 10, 2017
James, who recorded 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, was efficient on 12-22 shooting from the field even though he went 0-6 from three-point range.
In analyzing James’ “throwback” performance, a question must be asked. Is James even human? Or is he simply the most athletic individual in sports history? For him to be able to match career-highs that he set when he was in his early 20s, at 32-years-old, isn’t unprecedented. It’s the manner in which he’s accomplishing these feats that’s unprecedented.
James is averaging 37.6 minutes per game, the most on the Cleveland Cavaliers and more than young and spry wings like Andrew Wiggins and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In matchups against the teams with these type of young and athletic wings, teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks, James plays 37.0 minutes per game and 38.0 minutes per game respectively. In those matchups, James is putting up 26.0 points, 13.0 assists and 8.0 against the Timberwolves (2 games) and 27.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game against the Bucks (4 games).
The Cleveland Cavaliers can’t win every game and this piece isn’t designed to point out why the team lost to the Detroit Pistons. However, to brief those who missed the game, the Cavs lost the contest as they force-fed a rusty J.R. Smith (1-8 from three-point range) and questionable lineup decisions by Tyronn Lue (for instance, playing Kyrie Irving and Deron Williams, who have a lot of trouble containing perimeter penetration in a tight game as Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith took over).
This piece, a less serious piece, is designed to point out the human-cyborg-demigod that James truly seems to be.
James, who is averaging 1.6 dunks per game, is on pace to finish with the more than 120 dunks this season. That’s the most he’s had since his days with the Miami Heat and “The Flying Death Machine”.
In analyzing James’ triple-double performance, what needs to be known is that the difference between the triple-doubles that he accumulates and the ones Russell Westbrook accumulate, don’t come because James is hunting for the stats. They come naturally and within the flow of the game. it’s one reason he so often falls two rebounds or one assist short of a triple-double performance.
The difference between James’ triple-doubles and ones that Draymond Green accumulates is that he’s the primary scoring option on the team, unlike Green who is fourth in the Golden State Warriors pecking order when healthy.
James, who is the best all-around player in the league aside from simply being the greatest player on the planet, joins the company of Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, Wilt Chamberlain, Russell Westbrook and Larry Bird as the only players in NBA history to record 50 or more triple-doubles in their career.
Just another piece of history for James in what will be his final regular season game at The Palace at Auburn Hills. The Detroit Pistons will be relocating to an arena in downtown Detroit next season.
Related Story: LeBron James Joins Elite Company At Age 32
What did you think of LeBron James’ performance against the Detroit Pistons? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.