CLEVELAND — Initially by necessity, due to the injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, but now increasingly by design, LeBron James has transformed himself into the sort of player he and we hardly recognize, as he heeds the call of teammates and associates to unburden his brain, clear his conscience and "empty the clip" to carry the Cavaliers to the championship. In taking a playoff-career-high 26.3 shots per game, including an average of 36.5 in these NBA Finals, he's become the flash point for a raging basketball debate.
That debate is between the old and new ways of analyzing the game and, specifically, scoring. There's the way that was accepted for decades, with quantity coming first: the higher the scoring average, the better. And there's the way that has become more prevalent and prominent recently, with a premium placed on quality, the "how" rather than just the "how much," and a stigma attached to supposed "gunners."
The proponents of the latter, more "analytics"-based approach, aren't necessarily at odds with aggression, but they also promote some prudence. And, as James has increasingly become the emb ...
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Article written by Ethan Skolnick
Pressed to Adjust, LeBron James Proving There’s More Than One Right Way to Play
June 9th, 2015 by Ethan Skolnick Leave a reply »
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