The Cavs tell us that no player in NBA history has had a playoff game with 47 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Until LeBron James did it Saturday night in Atlanta. Apparently Michael Jordan had one with 45, 10 and 8.
Which means we are not in Jordanian territory, but beyond. That's how good LeBron James has been these seven games.
James actually compared his spectacular effort in the Game 3 win over Atlanta to the Game 5 masterpiece in Detroit a couple years ago. I preferred the one in Detroit myself, mainly because the stakes were higher and Detroit was still considered a top-level team at that point. Too, against Atlanta the Cavs basically gave LeBron the ball and let everyone else watch. Not the best NBA offense, but when he's shooting like he was it's near unstoppable.
James said the feeling he has in a game like is "unexplainable."
"I'm blessed," he said.
Interesting tidbit on the night (which was probably more apparent to those watching on TV than to people like me sitting halfway up the arena) was that James got pretty irritated with a fan sitting courtside who had a few unkind things to say to him.
"There was a gentleman over there who decided he wanted to talk back to me," James said. "It's happened in the past and it's usually not good for the other team."
How "not good" was it for Atlanta?
James made 15-of-25 shots, and 12-of-16 free throws. He had 12 rebounds, played outstanding defense and had eight assists.
He was the offense on this Saturday night, and in the series he's scored 108 points in 108 minutes.
"The better part of that is that I played 108 minutes and we're 3-0 in the series," James said.
Talk about a guy who "gets it."
Random thoughts …
—The 47 points are the second-most James has scored in a playoff game.
—The Cavs set an NBA record with their seventh consecutive playoff win by 10 points or more.
—Atlanta got pretty testy about the refs in the third quarter, and Zaza Pachulia lost it when he was called for a block on a Joe Smith layup. Pachulia looked like he was going to attack the ref, but ran into Smith and Anderson Varejao. Hawks coach Mike Woodson said it was an obvious block, and it was a block because Pachulia was in the circle.
–James even had postgame plans set early – well before the game started. "LeBron and 800 of his closest friends" were going to Trois, a midtown Atlanta restaurant and bar, after the game.
—I didn't get an invite.
—Which might be a good thing.
—For them.
—It's pretty much LeBron James' world right now. I'm just happy to be part of it.
—James' playoff averages: 33.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists.
—The Cavs defense should not be overlooked. Opponents have scored just 78.7 points in the seven playoff games, and Detroit and Atlanta shot 40.9 percent.
—The Cavs outrebounded the Hawks 46-23, and took 29 free throws to Atlanta's 11.
Stating it plainly
Josh Smith summed things up best: "LeBron was just out of his mind tonight."
The Cavs say a lot of things about stats that aren't true. Not that it wasn't an incredible performance, but what does that first sentence even mean?
Obviously I can't remember every single playoff game from every single season, but just off the top of my head, Chamberlain had 45 points and 27 rebounds in the sixth game of the 1969 finals. I don't recall how many assists, that was the game Willis Reed missed before that seventh game when he came out hobbling like Fred Sanford. And I'm sure there have been plenty of other amazing numerical performances in the playoffs over the years, not just from Jordan and James.
But on the bright side, at least those humble Cavs PR folks didn't pull another, "Our record is 512-2 in the games Ira Newble starts" out of their hat.
Now that Yao is out, I don't know how it can possibly be anything but the Lakers and the Cavs. Hell, with the way James is now playing, they could take the exact same putrid 2007 finals squad with Drew Gooden and Donyell Marshall leading the way to the pearly gates, put this version of James on it, and still win a 2009 title.
I'm sure if LeBron had invited 801 you would have been the one, Pat.
Doesn't life suck when you're the 801st on a list of 800?
I wonder if that hack Tyler Perry made it onto the list.