January 31: Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks
LeBron James is going to make massive NBA history this season. LeBron enters the season 1,325 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time scoring record in the NBA. LeBron is obviously going to pass it at some point in his career and this is most likely going to be the year.
LeBron has averaged 27 points per game since joining the Lakers and if he continues that same average it will take him 49 games to reach Abdul-Jabbar’s mark. This showdown against the New York Knicks is the 52nd game of the season for the Lakers.
Sports always seem to have a way of lining themselves up for the most monumental moments. Outside of LeBron breaking the record in Cleveland, the most notable place he could break the all-time scoring record would be in Madison Square Garden in front of a sold-out raucous New York crowd.
We literally just witnessed the basketball stars aligning this past season when Stephen Curry broke the all-time three-point record at MSG. In reality, LeBron could break the record anywhere between game 45 and 82 depending on how much he plays, if he gets hurt, and any other various factors.
However, knowing what I know about how sports often work to set up the biggest stage possible, it seems like a safe bet to guess that LeBron will break the scoring record at MSG on primetime television.