Cleveland’s LeBron James continues to put up meaty stat lines — thanks to scintillating and frankly scary performances — such as the one in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, keeping the Cavs alive for Game 6 tonight in Orlando, Fla.
In Game 5, James scored 37 points with 14 rebounds and 12 assists, the fourth postseason triple-double for the 24-year-old.
“He’s showing what a special player he is,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “I’ve never seen a team give a flat 1-4 offense for that many possessions. I thought Mike Brown showed intriguing initiative to say — ‘This is simple, it’s our best basketball, it might not look good, but it’s what’s going to win us the game.’ ”
Karl was fascinated by James’ ability to tally assists, because “I’m a huge believer that with the championship team, the pass is so important to those teams. That’s where I think we’ve come a long way — in trusting the pass. And even in our trust with the pass, at times when we don’t play well, it’s because we don’t trust the pass.”
When Lakers coach Phil Jackson was asked if he’s a fan of watching James, he said: “I’m a fan of NHL hockey. I watch NBA when I have to scout a team. He’s remarkable. But I’m not a fan of anybody. (Pianist) Van Cliburn, he’s one of my heroes.”
More on refs.
Numerous coaches have complained about officiating this postseason. On Friday, Karl was asked if the league should consider having four officials, instead of three. Karl responded, seemingly in jest: “Why don’t we go five. ‘I’m the point guard referee, you’re the off-guard referee.’ . . .
“I think we’re giving a lot of interpretation to referees, the hand-check, the body check, and I think they do a great job — by far, our referees are the best in the world. But how you want the game refereed, the more interpretation, the more disagreements you’re going to have.
“But I don’t think it’s good for basketball when the college game is more physical than the pro game. Grown men should be able to compete.”
Still a hero.
It’s been 11 years since Nuggets guard Anthony Carter left the University of Hawaii, but he is still revered in the islands. Carter is the school’s career leader in assist average and one of only 10 players to reach 1,000 points. This reporter has done numerous radio shows in Hawaii during the postseason, and every time, the Nuggets’ reserve comes up in conversation, often with stories from his glory days.
