Before this series started, all the chatter was about the Houston Rockets getting a matchup against the team everyone wanted to face in the first round. People did not really think the Los Angeles Lakers would be in the position they are, up 2-0 in the matchup. That surprise has sparked change.
Ahead of the series, everyone was talking about how incredible it would be if LeBron James managed to win this head-to-head as the leading star again. Perhaps there was a fair bit of doubt as to whether that would actually happen. Now, with that possibility being very much so in the cards, his critics are scrambling to pull the throne out from under him.
The conversation is no longer about James. Most of the narratives have suddenly shifted to discussing everything that is wrong with the Rockets.
In all fairness, there is indeed a lot of things wrong with Houston that are costing them this series so far. The problem is that only tells a part of the story. The other side of that tale has to do with the 41-year-old star doing the exact thing some were only jesting about.
LeBron James deserves credit for pushing the Rockets to the edge
Nick Wright did a fine job of explaining the issues with how the narratives have abruptly flipped. There is truth in both sides of how this matchup is being discussed. However, one side — the one that chooses to ignore the LeBron-sized causation — of the equation is downplaying the other.
Wright said, "The moment it looked like he might actually do it, the conversation shifted to what the hell's wrong with Houston? ... They have been accomplices in the potential murder of their season, but they're just the getaway car driver. The guy holding the knife is LeBron."
Naturally, Wright is well-established as a pro-James voice in the media. Him taking the side that would lift LeBron up should be unsurprising. However, the point made should not be dismissed just because of that fact.
Through two games, James is averaging 39.0 minutes per game. In embracing that heavy load, the Lakers forward has posted 23.5 points, shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 42.9 from beyond the arc, 8.0 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
James is giving his team a little bit of everything, tapping into the vintage version of himself.
Game 2 against the Rockets offered another classic case of LeBron leading all three of the big statistical categories for his squad. James was either tied or had sole possession of the team lead in points, rebounds, and assists.
The Rockets are far from a perfect team. The Lakers, on the whole, have done a great job showcasing that. At the forefront of it all is LeBron. Let's not get that last part twisted.
Add us as a preferred source on Google