Whose game is it, anyway? It’s LeBron James’

Wed., Nov. 29, 2006

Mark Vasto King Features Syndicate

The 2006 NBA season started on a somber note with the loss of its greatest coach ever, Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Red Auerbach.

Auerbach passed at the age of 89, but what he accomplished on the hardboards helped shape the NBA into what it is today — namely by giving us the Celtics’ legacy.

Under his clipboard, the Celtics cruised to eight straight championships from 1959 through 1966, winning nine in total. In the front office, he engineered the teams that went on to win seven more championships throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. From his matter-of-fact interviews to his civic leadership outside the Boston Garden, Auerbach certainly will be missed.

Not to be missed this season, however, is the LeBron James show, which played to rave reviews again last year. And critics are singing “The Chosen One’s” praise this year, too. In a pre-season poll of NBA general managers, James was voted most likely to win the league’s MVP award. He also won, hands down, the vote for the league’s best power forward (easily outdistancing Carmello Anthony and Kobe Bryant).

Unless you’ve lived in a shoe for the past few years (no doubt courtesy of his $95 million Nike contract, something he earned before he even was drafted), you’ve heard of LeBron James. He may be hyped, but the facts speak for themselves. Drafted out of high school by the Cleveland Cavaliers and only in the league for three seasons, James is already a living legend.

He is one of only three players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in his rookie season (joining two lesser-knowns named Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan). He is one of only five players in NBA history to average more than 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a season (joining no-name scrubs like Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Jordan and Robertson). He reached 6,000 points faster than any player in history.

It took James two years to take the Cavs to the playoffs, but when he beat down that door, he did so with authority. In Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, he became the first player to score more than 40 points in his first playoff road game, draining 41 points that night.

In the early ‘90s, another NBA great by the name of Magic Johnson, in the booth for NBA broadcasts after his career, became famous for his style of color analysis. After watching Air Jordan take flight over the Knicks one game, Johnson exclaimed, “Whose game is it? It’s Michael’s game! It’s Michael’s game!”

Today, let there be no doubt whose game it is. It’s LeBron James’ game, and we’re the ones watching it.

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