King James Gospel
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32 Is The New 22: Why It’s The King’s Court Now More Than Ever

By Dan Gilinsky

May 3, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors in game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
May 3, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors in game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 7, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey (R) after the second half of game four of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey (R) after the second half of game four of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

Reason #5: Leadership

How does one quantify leadership? It’s obviously not made up of any one tangible metric. That bring me to my last reason as to how James is playing at the best level of his career right now, though. He knows exactly how to stir the pot, and what ingredients to use, and how much of them to use. Bron has played more postseason minutes than Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (per Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead), so he knows how to win these playoff battles.

He knew that the regular season didn’t mean anything to this veteran-laden Cavs roster. Getting the two-seed was perfectly fine for Cleveland, because they have the best player in the world. He’s picking his spots when to attack and when to facilitate perfectly; and his wizardry is making opponents get out of their comfort zone.

It almost doesn’t matter who else is on the floor with James, the Cavs will produce. He is making T-Lue’s job a lot easier, and as long as 23 is still out there, Cleveland will be able to dictate the way other teams play defensively. He knows the spots where to hit his teammates and how to get them going.

Korver and Frye look like they’re destined to play five more years because of how easy it is for them to fill up the scoreboard. Guys really buy in to LBJ’s message right away, and you see that in the playoffs. In addition, Bron’s influence has also allowed Kyrie to grow both on and off the floor, and he’s lessened the burden on Love.

So when you factor in that the King has found his Muse Cage and that he’s dominating the East more than ever, he’s truly playing the best basketball of his career. Here’s his thoughts on that:

The dude is always class personified, on and off the floor. Now he’s headed to his ninth Eastern Conference Finals and likely seventh straight NBA Finals. He now has more playoff series W’s than MJ in one less season and leads current NBA players with 11 series sweeps, too (via McIntyre again). #StriveForGreatness.

Every time you watch this mythical superhuman, relish it. There will never be another LeBron James.

Related Story: LeBron impresses Dwyane Wade, Ric Flair

What do you think of the way LeBron James has been performing in the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.

*Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of www.baskeball-reference.com