If LeBron James is considered one of (if not the) best players in history, it is in particular because he showed during his legendary career his ability to surpass himself in the Playoffs. Al Horford, the current interior of the Celtics, is very well placed to talk regarding it, he who faced the King on many occasions in the postseason.
Currently in his 16th NBA season, Al Horford has played 23 Playoff games once morest LeBron in his career. 23 Playoff games in five series (2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), for a record of… 4 wins – 19 losses and three bad sweeps as a bonus. Suffice to say that the friend Al took dearly once morest the King. But the day he was most impressed with LBJ was May 27, 2018.
On that date, the Celtics faced the Cavaliers in Boston to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. A knockout match therefore, following six exhausting first matches both physically and mentally. Horford remembers (via The Old Man and The Three podcast) :
“I was probably in the best physical shape of my career. There were four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the game was still tight. Coming out of time-out, I saw Marcus Morris, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, we were all burnt out.
And then I looked the other way. I saw LeBron calmly leaning once morest the scorer’s table, he seemed unfazed. It was demoralizing. Physically, he might reach a level that not many people can reach.
Perhaps most demoralizing is that James played… all 48 minutes that night for 35 points – 15 rebounds – 9 assists, and played 288 total minutes across the board. series, which is 41 minutes per game. At the Celtics, no one had exceeded 260.
LeBron James’ physical dominance and athletic ability are obviously part of the reason why it’s so hard to beat him on a playoff streak. But in addition to that, as well as the versatility that of course characterizes the King, the latter has – especially since the second part of his career (2012 to today) – a unique ability to adapt and adjust. A series of playoffs for LeBron is like a game of chess. He analyzes, he advances his pawns, he adjusts, then he wins. You add to that the experience that accompanies his long career (no one in history has played more games than LeBron in the Playoffs) and you find yourself faced with a real cheat code.
The good news for Al Horford is that he no longer plays in the same conference as James today. Very unlikely therefore that he will meet him in the Playoffs unless there is an NBA Final between the Celtics and the Lakers, which seems rather unlikely, it must be said, since the latter are only eighth in the West currently. But with LeBron, you never know…
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Source texte : The Old Man and The Three podcast