Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Believe it or not, there are still people out there who think LeBron James is overrated. If you happened to watch the Miami Heat play on Thursday, you would see why he is by far the best player in the NBA.
For starters, he ended up dropping 39 on 17/25 shooting. 68 percent isn’t bad; throw in his near triple-double stat line and his defense on Kobe Bryant the last two minutes, and you can see why he is the best player in basketball. I used to doubt him, but the switch has been turned on since the playoffs last season.
The best thing that happened to him was losing in the Finals his first year in Miami. It hardened him and it made him a tougher basketball player. The LeBron we have seen since May is simply unstoppable. He is a man who has realized he can’t be stopped in the paint. You don’t see LeBron settling for low-percentage long jumpers anymore. He is going to get to the rim, and you can’t do a thing to stop him.
In a way, he is still growing as a basketball player. His post game still needs some work, but he is putting in the effort. People have hyped up a Kobe-LeBron rivalry, but the torch has been passed. In 2013, it is LeBron’s league. Kobe is a member of the old guard, and you can’t compare the two anymore. You can look at what they have done in the past and give the edge to 24. If you say Kobe is better based on what he is doing now, you don’t know basketball.
You have to watch LeBron every single night he plays – it’s like a highlight reel almost every game. You may not like how he handled his move to a new team two and a half years ago, but you can’t doubt that he’s the best player in the league right now.
