The All-Star Game in Denver, where LeBron James made his big debut, had broken the fragile balance established in Cleveland during this 2004/05 season. Well established in third place in the East in mid-February, the Cavaliers then fell heavily. They accumulate defeats and Paul Silas, the coach, is fumbling.
This Sunday, March 20, LeBron James takes matters into his own hands. Against the Raptors, he scored 56 points at 50% shooting success, 10 rebounds, 5 assists.
It was then his personal record, that of the franchise and never had a player so young reached such a bar (20 years and 80 days, beaten by Brandon Jennings, 20 years and 52 days in 2009) in the history of the league.
It is then a LeBron James, with a childish face, still quite raw on a technical level. He is very fluid, very fast but his control is much less good than in the years to come. His 3-point move, for example, is very often unbalanced. And despite his efforts, Cleveland ended up losing when, proof that the Cavaliers' season was going very badly, Paul Silas was fired on Monday morning…
“I probably played the best match of my life, but it’s worthless since we lost”, declares LeBron James after the meeting. “I don’t care about individual stats, especially if we lose. I'm disappointed to have such a good match and come away without the victory. »
An unpleasant sensation that he will experience again at the start of the following season, then never again. Since his two defeats in 2005, LeBron James has always won regular season games where he scored more than 50 points. And this great match of March 2005 was erased by much more imposing masterpieces.
Article originally published on March 20, 2022
