Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens believes Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, who has been the best player in the NBA every year of this decade, has gotten even better.
Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens had high praise for Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James after the game after the King put defender after defender in the torture chamber.
"It's hard to believe but he's better than when I got into the league. A lot better."- Brad Stevens on LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/fswcuYBYSV
— The Association on FOX (@TheAssociation) May 18, 2017
Stevens, who was hired by the Boston Celtics ahead of the 2013-2014 season, has seen James since his final days with the Miami Heat.
LeBron James since 2013-2014 (regular season):
| Season | Tm | Lg | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | MIA | NBA | 10.0 | 17.6 | .567 | 1.5 | 4.0 | .379 | .610 | 5.7 | 7.6 | .750 | 1.1 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 3.5 | 27.1 |
| 2014-15 | CLE | NBA | 9.0 | 18.5 | .488 | 1.7 | 4.9 | .354 | .535 | 5.4 | 7.7 | .710 | 0.7 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 3.9 | 25.3 |
| 2015-16 | CLE | NBA | 9.7 | 18.6 | .520 | 1.1 | 3.7 | .309 | .551 | 4.7 | 6.5 | .731 | 1.5 | 7.4 | 6.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 25.3 |
| 2016-17 | CLE | NBA | 9.9 | 18.2 | .548 | 1.7 | 4.6 | .363 | .594 | 4.8 | 7.2 | .674 | 1.3 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 4.1 | 26.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
As great as James has been over the course of the years, it’s clear that Stevens is right even in terms of the regular season that James is now thought to be coasting through. While James had better shooting percentages in 2013, they weren’t too much higher than James’ percentages from this season. In addition, he’s averaging 2.4 more assists and 1.7 more rebounds per game than he was in the 2013-14, numbers that are actually career-highs for James.
LeBron James since 2013-2014 (postseason):
| Season | Tm | Lg | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | MIA | NBA | 9.6 | 17.0 | .565 | 1.8 | 4.3 | .407 | .616 | 6.5 | 8.0 | .806 | 0.7 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 27.4 |
| 2014-15 | CLE | NBA | 11.4 | 27.2 | .417 | 1.3 | 5.5 | .227 | .440 | 6.1 | 8.4 | .731 | 1.9 | 11.3 | 8.5 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 30.1 |
| 2015-16 | CLE | NBA | 10.4 | 19.9 | .525 | 1.5 | 4.5 | .340 | .564 | 3.9 | 5.9 | .661 | 2.0 | 9.5 | 7.6 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 26.3 |
| 2016-17 | CLE | NBA | 11.9 | 21.2 | .560 | 2.6 | 5.9 | .434 | .620 | 8.4 | 11.4 | .738 | 0.9 | 9.0 | 7.1 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 34.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
However, it’s in the postseason where we really see the difference. James is averaging more points per game than he ever has and is more efficient than he’s ever been. He has no weaknesses to his game and knows how to take advantage of his physical gifts in ways he didn’t seem to really do before. Yes, he’d barrel over you on the way to the basket but he wouldn’t consistently back down smaller defenders like it was a practice drill against the Cavs assistant coaches. He’s doing all this while being better at delivering skip passes and continuing to be as dominant a floor general as ever. Have I mentioned that James has been flying around on defense, wreaking havoc all over the court?
What happened to the Boston Celtics was no different from what’s happened to any team in any game throughout the playoffs, or the last three games of the NBA Finals for that matter.
James has been playing magnificently for twelve consecutive playoffs games over the course of two seasons and to watch the King in all of his majesty is a sight to behold. You come away with the distinct impression that James’ body is certainly as fresh as ever, he’s shooting the ball as well as he ever has and he’s smarter than he’s ever been. When you’re playing against a 6-foot-8, 250 pound NBA legend at his peak, and one who has superior athleticism, you end up scratching your head for answers.
Steve Kerr didn’t have any answers. Nate McMillan didn’t have any answers. Dwane Casey definitely didn’t have any answers. Brad Stevens doesn’t have an answer.
#Celtics coach Brad Stevens indicated you can't double LeBron James because he will pick your defense apart finding the open shooter.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) May 17, 2017
You just have to trust me on this but Sway doesn’t have the answers either.
The reality of James’ dominance is that he’s so dominant he’s toying with the competition and everybody knows it.
Below is a tweet from May 16th, the eve of the Eastern Conference Finals:
"Kelly Olynyk, Kelly Kapowski, Kelley Blue Book. Don't matter to me, Cavs in 4." - LeBron pic.twitter.com/awgVYpOXAx
— NFL poor pls help (@ClevelandGod) May 17, 2017
This is an actual representation of that tweet:
LeBron turned his back on Kelly Olynyk while he defended him 😂 pic.twitter.com/OTckrxwmWg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 18, 2017
When you see things like that, it’s reminiscent of the way Michael Jordan used to toy with his defenders. In a story recounted by Chris Webber, Jordan would went into the Washington Bullets locker room with a victory cigar, asking who was supposed to be guarding him. The players could only laugh and point to Jordan’s victim, Calbert Cheaney.
The thing is though, James’ gamesmanship has been on display ever since the Cavs defeated the Warriors in the Finals. That was the turning point in his James’ mentality.
All throughout the regular season, while it seemed like James was coasting, many seemed to forget that he had the team on his back (as they couldn’t win without him) and led the Cavs to 51 wins. He didn’t consistently play with great energy and he certainly wasn’t flying around – or free to fly around – on defense like he is now but he was evolving right before our eyes.
His passing got better, his shooting got better, he looked lighter on his feet and was attacking the paint like he graduated from high school in 2016, not 2003. He’s a lot smarter now too; he knows how to use his physical gifts better than ever while seeing the court better than ever. Once James’ team was full of so many shooters, and the Cavs began looking to get James easy points in advantageous matchups, he was going to be virtually impossible to stop.
With the confidence he has now, he’s just impossible to stop, period.
Related Story: BOS - CLE: What we learned from Game 1
Do you agree with Brad Stevens and think that LeBron James is playing better than he has since Stevens took the job in Boston? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.