LeBron's 61

Mark this date down: March 3, 2014; the day LeBron James scored 61 points in an NBA game. Impressive? Absolutely. Meaningful? Maybe not so much. This performance nonetheless has certainly given us hoop fans something to debate for the next few days. I struggled for the most part of the first quarter trying to find an online stream to watch the game against the unlucky Bobcats (who allowed Carmelo Anthony to drop 62 on them earlier this year), and once I did, boy was I glad. LeBron put on a show, needless to say; even though many might belittle the performance claiming that "it was against the Bobcats...." If you ask me, 61 points is 61 points, regardless of who you drop it on. Lets not forget the fact that it was mostly dropped on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, or the fact that he did it on only 33 shots. If you watched the game, you can agree that this was not an easy 61 points, as he mostly did it from long range going 8 for 10 from three. The first eleven points in the first quarter were mostly easy: lay-ups or finishes around the basket; then the three-point onslaught poured on in the second quarter, ending with twenty-four at halftime. Hot? think again, he turned it up another notch in the third quarter adding twenty-five in the quarter. I mean this was as good of a performance as I've seen live in a long long time, maybe since watching Kobe drop 81. The fourth quarter, where history was made, was not as impressive in my opinion because you could get the feeling that his teammates were pushing for him to get the record, as opposed to him getting shots in the flow of the offense like he did in the first three quarters. Nevertheless it was a great performance, and the topic of discussion until somebody else does something extremely impressive.

So what does this performance mean? For LeBron? For this Season? For his legacy? Well, if you ask me, not much.  LeBron James has and probably will always be a pass-first player for his entire NBA career.  If he wanted to go out and drop 40 every night, the man could easily do it, but it's simply not his style.  I admit, it is rare for him to explode in this fashion, but it's nothing surprising considering his talents and overall skill set. Many have gone on to make the statement that this performance puts LeBron ahead of Kevin Durant in the MVP race.  I would have to disagree, as KD's body of work this season cannot easily be shattered by the tear LeBron has been on lately.  I will however say that LeBron's peak form certainly makes this a closer competition than it was about a month ago.  What this performance DOES however indicate is that LeBron is ready for the playoffs.  LeBron has turned up his game at the perfect time, heading into the end of the regular season.  With about 25 games left in the season, he seems to have gotten his legs under him, and his conditioning back to the form we have grown accustomed to.  Even though tonight's performance was absolutely amazing, I have a feeling that the new masked man might have a couple more tricks up his sleeve.  It may not be another 60 point game, or another record breaking performance; but if he keeps shooting the ball at this rate, all I have to say is....be afraid, be very afraid NBA.

Photo credit:
www.latimes.com