How strong is LeBron James in the 20 17- 18 season?

17- 18 how strong James really is, I think this picture can tell everything. James played 82 regular-season games, shouldered teammates and coaches, single-handedly led the team to the finals, and twice experienced playoff tiebreaker. Although James finally missed the championship, it is enough to use the word great to describe James' contribution to the team.

A vivid picture

Playing 82 regular-season games This is the first time James has played 82 regular-season games since he entered the league. The closest season to full attendance was the 2008-09 season, and James played 8 1 game.

As we all know before, James, as the absolute core of the team, will choose to rest in order to prepare for the playoffs at the end of the regular season. But James didn't do it this time, mainly for two reasons.

Owen went to Boston.

First, before the start of the new season, Carey Owen chose to leave. After 20 17 was eliminated by Golden State Warriors in the final stage, Owen applied for a deal. In all kinds of desperation, the Cavaliers traded Owen to the Boston Celtics. In exchange, Thomas Jr. suffered from injuries and his competitive state dropped greatly. As we all know, Owen's past existence can relieve a lot of pressure for James. Now Owen's departure has undoubtedly increased the heavy responsibility on James's shoulders.

Second, the Cavaliers' lineup is not so good. 16- 17 season, Cleveland Cavaliers won 5 1 won 3 1 lost in the regular season, with a winning percentage of 62.2%, tied for the second place in the East with Toronto Raptors, and only ranked fifth in the league, still the same as many teams. In this case, James naturally can't be as relaxed as in the past few seasons. He was forced to play 82 games. Even so, in the 17- 18 season, the Cavaliers only scored 50 wins and 32 losses, ranking fourth in the East and sixth in the league.

In 82 regular-season games, James averaged 36.9 minutes and scored 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9. 1 assists 1.4 steals 0.9 blocks, shooting 54.2% from the field, 36.7% from three-pointers and 73. 1% from free throws.

James Super Season

In the first round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers faced the Fifth Pacers (48 wins and 34 losses). In terms of record, the Cavaliers only won two more games than the Pacers. Theoretically, the strength of the two teams is very close. Just like the course of the game, the two teams didn't tell the winner until the deciding game.

But in the whole process, James's knight was not favored by the outside world, because his first game against the Cavaliers was black. Fortunately, James adjusted his state in time, equalized the score and won the battle of Tianwangshan, while the tenacious pacers dragged the game into a tiebreak. In the deciding game, the Pacers pushed back the strongest James. James played for 43 minutes, scored a game-high 45 points, plus 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals, and fought hard to bring the team into the semi-finals with a super high hit rate of 64.0%.

In the semi-final, James easily completed the Raptors' 4-0 sweep with his long-term experience and psychological advantage. In the division finals, facing the young Celtics, James's Cavaliers lost the first two big scores, which led to a 0-2 deficit in the series. At this point, the pressure of public opinion from outside is even fiercer than the first round with the Pacers.

James vs Celtic

Put it to death and be born. After returning to the home court, James took the lead, his teammates made a key output, and the Cavaliers equalized the big score in two consecutive games. In the battle of Tianwangshan, the Celtics held the home court advantage, pressed the Cavaliers to play the whole game, and finally won Tianwangshan and match point with the advantage of 13.

Faced with a big score of 2-3, when James' record of reaching the finals came to an end, James turned pressure into motivation and G6 returned to the home court. He played for 46 minutes, made 33 shots 17, scored 46 points, got 1 1 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals, and successfully dragged the game into the deciding game.

In the deciding game, the Cavaliers lost their home court advantage because their regular season record was not as good as that of the Celtics. In the previous six meetings, the Celtics won James' knight at home three times. In other words, James hasn't won a game at Celtic home, which is very unfavorable psychologically.

The away game is really bad for the Cavaliers. After the first quarter, the Cavaliers were 8 points behind the Celtics, but the Cavaliers adjusted their state in time and narrowed the score to only 4 points at the end of the first half. In the second half, the situation changed suddenly, and the Celtics felt extremely cold, so they needed to strike frequently while the iron was hot. The Cavaliers seized the opportunity to end the lead in the third quarter. In the last quarter, James didn't give the Celtics a chance, but he stabilized the advantage of the single quarter with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. When the whistle sounded, James continued to reach the finals for eight consecutive years.

It is worth mentioning that the camera captured a picture at the award ceremony of the champion of the division. While all his teammates were celebrating happily, James was lying on the ground and resting alone. Because it was G7, James played 48 minutes, scored 35 points 15 rebounds and 9 assists, and his physical strength and willpower have reached the limit.

Lost to the Warriors in the finals.

In the final, the score of G 1 was 5 1+8+8. James reached the finals for eight consecutive years. The opponent in the finals is the defending champion Golden State Warriors with Durant and Splash Brothers. The disparity in strength is self-evident.

Even so, James' performance in the first game left a deep impact on us. He shot 32 shots 19 in 48 minutes, and got a game-high 5 1 point, plus 8 rebounds and 8 assists 1 steals 1 blocks. If it weren't for JR Smith's mistake, the Cavaliers would probably win the first game of the finals. Unfortunately, there was no if, and finally the knight was swept out of the house.

Although James still missed the championship, it is enough to describe James' contribution to the team with the word "great" throughout the season. Although he lost, he was still brilliant.