Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James proved yet again that he has a lot more left in the tank at the ripe age of 41 after a stellar performance in their 111-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
James finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on 10-of-19 shooting en route to the Lakers’ 13th clutch win of the season.
Following the game, coach JJ Redick compared James to Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux and detailed how exactly James continues to be successful at his age.
“I think it’s just recognizing game to game what he has,” Redick said. “He’s Greg Maddux at the end of his career. Every night he doesn’t have his best stuff, but he has enough to win. And I’m his catcher. I have to figure out how to call the pitches. Sometimes he tells me to F-off and he calls his own pitch, which is fine, too.
“To me it’s that — what’s the best way to utilize him tonight based on the opponent, based on the coverage, based on how he’s moving. We have conversations sometimes in games… It’s really just that ongoing dialogue with him. To me, what he’s doing at 41, what he did last year at 40, it’s greatness, it’s just a different form of greatness.”
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LeBron defying Father Time
Since turning 41 on Dec. 30, James has averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game on 64.7% true shooting.
After sitting out nearly the first month of the season recovering from his bout with sciatica, a slow start had NBA media and fans wondering if the time had finally come where Father Time reared its ugly head. Instead, James, like any player, just needed a few weeks to ramp up from an offseason of inactivity and recovery.
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