CLEVELAND - LeBron James is indisputably the best basketball player of the 21st century, so far.He's also just 24 years old.
As James has improved on an already lethal skill set, he has elevated his Cleveland Cavaliers into the stratosphere. They went 3-1 on their just completed west coast road trip minus starters Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West, but with the indefensible James as the catalyst.
The team is a jaw-dropping 34-8.
As far as talent goes, the NBA is choke full of that. Superstars like Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul are remarkable. But James is something more; power, grace, speed, desire, tough. On Friday, he deflated the Golden State Warriors with a step-back 20-foot jumper at the buzzer, dealing the home team a one-point loss. He came back the next night and delivered 33 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists to the Utah Jazz in yet another Cavs win.
And oh, that defense.
LeBron had been notoriously awful on defense during his first three or four seasons. But within the past couple years, he's shown flashes of brilliance and now, he's a nightmare. He chases opponents down as if his life depends on it, swatting away seemingly sure-fire layups or dunks on breakaways.
His passing is near-flawless.
No other player sees the floor better than the 6'9," 274 pound James, not even point guard stars like Paul and Steve Nash. His playmaking has always been his biggest asset, he just happens to be a volume scorer as well.
With their glittering record, the Cavs are tied with Bryant's Lakers for the best mark in the league. Kobe though has Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum... not to mention coaching legend Phil Jackson. James has a steady and talented group as well, but he still does more than any other star and is more indispensable.
Just wait until the playoffs.
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