LeBron James tapped his bare wrist with the animated charade of an impatient man checking the time, and walked quickly toward the gym door.
“Let’s go,” James announced to his Cleveland teammates.
And those Cavaliers all followed their young king across the court.
This scene took place more than a year ago, at a practice in California.
Why mention it now?
James has been in a hurry to get somewhere in the NBA from the jump.
“He’s driving the bus,” said a chuckling Paul Silas, then coach of the Cavs. “We’re along for the ride.”
We are all witnesses, if you believe the Nike commercial touting the rise of King James.
Believe it.
What we are witnessing in the NBA playoffs is the great renaissance of pro hoops we’ve all awaited since Michael Jordan canned the jumper that won a league title and ended an era back in 1998.
Quite frankly, many American sports fans grew tired of waiting, reached for the TV remote and declared the NBA a turn-off, marred by too many tattoos and too little passion.
It has become de rigueur to diss the NBA as boring, boorish or both.
I admit to tossing some of the brickbats myself.
But, if you have not watched hoops lately, you’re missing a lot.
Once again, the NBA has got game. Big time.
What’s going on here is bigger than James, although this wunderkind born in 1984 is the best thing to happen to the NBA since 1984, when some skinny dude named Jordan entered the league as a rookie.
Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups says James can do things with a basketball that most players cannot even dream about.
Already in these playoffs, the King has beaten the buzzer with an unstoppable drive to the hoop and a 3-point shot launched while falling out of bounds. But what he recently did in an ugly, 74-72 Cleveland win that evened the best-of-seven series against the Pistons at two victories apiece might have been his most noteworthy achievement.
James clunked jumpers and clanked free throws all game long. But his competitiveness stood in defiance of Detroit and instilled the Cavs with the belief they really can be somebody, if not now, then sometime in the very near future.
It was a shining example of leadership that would do Larry Bird proud.
The passion is back in the NBA. Even better, so is scoring so hot it revives memories of Magic Johnson’s Showtime.
Mike D’Antoni of Phoenix and Avery Johnson of Dallas, clever basketball minds who both bounced through Denver, are the two most innovative coaches now working.
They have embraced speed, which is quickly replacing the dunk as basketball’s most deadly weapon.
Johnson, a former point guard himself, has the defending champion San Antonio Spurs sucking on the contrails of the twin jets who fire up the Dallas backcourt.
By starting 6-foot-8 center Boris Diaw, D’Antoni is exploding the myth fast-break teams cannot win in the postseason.
While James and Dwyane Wade prove the death of American basketball might have been greatly exaggerated, the league now boasts so many stars from so many continents that calling the winner of the NBA playoffs a world champion has never rung more true.
Have you allowed yourself to be wowed by magical Steve Nash of Canada, sweet-shooting Dirk Nowitzki of Germany or crazy Sam Cassell, a brother from another planet? The helter-skelter genius of Argentina’s Manu Ginobili could be the most obvious reason it would be dumb to erect a fence around the United States.
Nothing against Jay Leno or David Letterman, but the funniest comedians on late-night television are TNT commentators Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley, who provide “Inside the NBA” with a natural laugh track. It’s like watching hoops while sitting courtside between Chris Rock and Cedric the Entertainer, although I’m not sure even Cedric’s pants would be roomy enough for the Round Mound of Rebound.
Remember when the NBA was fan-tastic? This is the dawning of a new golden age.
Too often, what passes for sports commentary sounds like tired nostalgia for the good old days, rather than the joy in discovery of what’s fresh and worthy.
Are you a fallen NBA fan?
Get on the bus.
We’re riding with the King.
Staff writer Mark Kiszla can be reached at 303-820-5438 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.
