4 Takeaways from the Cavs dominant victory against Boston.
The NBA better beware, LeBron is now entering playoff mode.
It is well documented that LeBron James holds back during the regular season, which is funny to say considering he is on pace to be the first player to average 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while shooting 55 percent from the floor. In his last 10 games alone, James is averaging 27.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists and just has the appearance that he knows what time it is and is adjusting accordingly to get ready to make a run for his fourth championship.
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All those months of talking about rest and calling out teammates as well as the front office seem to be in the rearview mirror, and while the on-court incident with Tristan Thompson may be considered a bad look for the Cavs, it is in fact the opposite. Everyone on the team, especially James knows what time it is and are adjusting accordingly.
There was one sequence in the game last night when LeBron roared past a defender and threw down a massive dunk, then proceeded to run the length of the floor and emphatically block Smart ,who had gone up for a layup and then dapped up fans along the baseline. It is these sequences of plays from James that has everyone thinking he has flipped that “switch” into playoff mode.
The LeBron we are seeing glimpses of now seems to be the same one that averaged 36.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists in the final three games of the 2016 NBA Finals, when he brought the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit against the Warriors. Even at the age of 32 and in his 14th season, James is somehow getting better and entering the playoffs, which cannot be a good sign for any team that crosses paths with the Cavs in the East or in the Finals. Considering the playoffs are where James is largely judged, he will be more motivated than ever to run roughshod through his opponents and capture another NBA championship.
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Yes, this is a lot to take away from just one game at the end of the regular season, but it is important to look at the bigger picture. A game such as the one in Boston last night can tell a much larger story that will have implications on the rest of the season.