What LeBron James did tonight has not been done since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James finished with 52 points, 10 rebounds (yes, 10, Edwards), 11 assists, and two blocks.
Let that sink in a moment.
It was a virtuoso performance that exhibited not only the prolific scoring of the only-24-year-old James, but rebounding, playmaking, finishing, focus, and all of the attributes that go into basketball. It wasn't an historic performance for any one attribute, it was the concierto of basketball skills in symphony that led to this. And while Kobe Bryant's 61 was more ... profound, this was just as worthy of awe.
It is the first 50-point triple-double in 34 years. It guaranteed his team the victory (one could argue it shouldn't have been that close). It displayed everything that makes James so great and the reason we need to appreciate what we're seeing.
Now for the bad. James needed 33 shots and was only 2 of 7 from the arc. James did shoot 52 percent from the field, which is, you know, okay, we guess. Okay, it's really good, but needing more shots than that other guy to only get 52 points clearly illustrates...
For the love of God, he scored 52 points, and got a triple-double. That's the kind of performance that relies on such a stunning combination of skills, it makes you question just what the limits of human athletics in the game of basketball are. To be that in tune with the flow of the game, even one with as many possessions as the D'Antoni Knicks create, is something almost impossible to comprehend.
Sports
We are living in a Golden Age, basketball fans. This week we've seen 12 assists in a half, 62 points in the Garden, and now a 50-point triple-double. This league we have now is filled with names and performances that are worthy of legend. Drink it in, people.
You know Knicks fans did, thinking of 2010.
LeBron Notches 50-Point Triple-Double originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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