The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, and LeBron James is making his return; you’re probably aware. In this one, James will dictate his box score numbers, and nobody else.
We are pretty aware by now as Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans that Los Angeles Lakers’ superhero, LeBron James, is well, halfway decent at basketball. In his 16th NBA season, James is posting 28.8 points on 61.9 percent true shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 34.7 minutes per game. In this upcoming game against the Cavs, who are the NBA’s worst team at 2-13, James will score what he wants to score, and I’m really not exaggerating.
The Cavaliers have the worst defensive rating in the league right now, and with that being the case, and the Lakers deploying a run-and-gun attack with the fourth-highest pace (per NBA.com), James could feasibly have 50-plus points in this one.
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He probably won’t get there, though, because L.A.’s supporting cast of predominantly Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Josh Hart and Rajon Rondo that is getting better playing with James will allow LeBron to faciliate a bunch.
The Lakers will probably have a big lead fairly early in this game, as the Cavaliers have Collin Sexton, Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson, Cedi Osman (who was in a slump even before reported issues with back spasms) and a bunch of “guys” right now.
If he wants to, James could put on a show for the hometown Cleveland crowd, who should be thankful for the years he’s given them, as our own Josh Friedman recently illustrated; he will be getting a video tribute early in the game, too, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.
Earlier today on “Undisputed” with Jenny Taft, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless, Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard said he thinks LeBron should have a historic night, even suggesting that he should “go drop 60.”
Frankly, I agree with Broussard. LeBron getting a 60-point night would actually be cool to watch; I know a Cleveland Cavaliers’ fan, and DO NOT call me a front-runner, EVER.
I am the furthest thing from that, but James having a historic performance in Cleveland would allow the game to have some meaning; the Cavs don’t have a chance in this one of winning, especially without Kevin Love (who said on ESPN’s “The Jump” that he’ll be out until “at least the new year”), and Cleveland might as well be tanking for next season’s number one overall pick.
So get whatever you want, LeBron. Go crazy, and get 65 points or something; just let Sexton and Osman have some fun, too.