[RARE] - A 19 y/o LeBron dropped 43/6/5 on 68% FG on the reigning champs Detroit 2004

[Im Still Ballin]

Beat Detroit 92-76


LeBron James scores career-high 43 points to lift Cavaliers over Detroit Pistons

The Associated Press

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Cleveland — Perhaps trying to show his U.S. Olympic team coach that he should have played more in Greece, LeBron James scored a career-high 43 points Wednesday to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 92-76 win over Larry Brown's Detroit Pistons.

"That's as good as I've seen," Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said of James. "All I know he was great, not good, he was great. We just don't have enough superlatives to give this guy."

Jeff McInnis added 16 points as the Cavaliers won for the seventh time in eight games.

The NBA's reigning rookie of the year scored 21 points in the first half and 12 in the third quarter when he assisted on Cleveland's two other field goals. In the fourth, after Detroit pulled within 10, James made consecutive 3-pointers, punctuating the second with a wag of his tongue as the Cavaliers went up by 16.

"Fantastic," said Cavs forward Robert Traylor. "That's the only word I can think of to describe it. I don't know if he had something to prove, but he came to play. He's one of those guys who sets his mind to it and takes his game to another level."

Richard Hamilton scored 28 points and Rasheed Wallace 11 for Detroit.

http://m.kusports.com/news/2004/nov/25/lebron_james_scores/

Box score (https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200411240CLE.html)

One of his most underrated, and forgotten performances. This is a Detroit team reeling off a championship in 2004 -- they would almost win it again this season (2004-2005.)

[Turbo Slayer]

Amazing shit. greatness.

[3ball]

must have crushed it in the playoffs that year alongside the East all-star center

[eliteballer]

No Ben Wallace.

[Lebron23]

LeBron is the Detroit Stopper.

[3ball]

Jordan 85-89' (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jordami01.html#1985-1989-sum:per_game)... 32.6 ppg.. 1.9 oreb.. 4.3 dreb.. 5.9 apg.. 2.8 spg.. 1.2 bpg.. 58.9 ts.. 29.6 PER
Lebron 06-10' (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html#2006-2010-sum:per_game)... 29.4 ppg.. 1.2 oreb.. 6.1 dreb.. 7.1 apg.. 1.7 spg.. 1.0 bpg.. 57.6 ts.. 28.8 PER


MJ had better stats, but a weaker cast caused him to win less, and a stronger conference too

i.e. MJ's 33/8/8 yielded 47 wins in 89', while Lebron's 28/8/7 yielded 66 wins in 09'.. so lebron's stronger cast and weak conference allowed more wins despite less stats.

Jordan had a completely accolade-less cast from 85-89', while Lebron played with a 2-time all-star center (Zydrunas), and other all-stars like Mo and Jamison, and all-defenders Hughes and Varejao, along with the COY and top team defenses - MJ had none of this, so his superior stats yielded less wins.. lebron had a good cast relative to the conference, so he got high seeds every year from 06-10'

facts gonna facts

oh, and Ben Wallace didn't play in the game OP specified, so shit thread, hence my spam

[iamgine]

Ben Wallace didn't play in that game.

[Im Still Ballin]

Legendary performance.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br_873gjg2c

[Lebron23]

LeBron always been a superior player than Kobe.

[LAL]

Unpopular opinion: Besides stats, lebron was never better than his first few years, more ballsy and took more risks, used his midrange jumper more. Got absolutely more boring and stale as he got older.

[SouBeachTalents]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGv_Na2asCc

Only 40 point playoff game the Pistons allowed in '04 or '05

[SouBeachTalents]

Unpopular opinion: Besides stats, lebron was never better than his first few years, more ballsy and took more risks, used his midrange jumper more. Got absolutely more boring and stale as he got older.
Absolutely ridiculous take :oldlol: LeBron while still great had legitimate flaws in his game that teams could expose early in his career, hence his performances in the '07 Finals & '11 Finals and against Boston in '08 & '10

[warriorfan]

Ben Wallace was suspended. That wasn’t the championship Pistons.

[Im Still Ballin]

Absolutely ridiculous take :oldlol: LeBron while still great had legitimate flaws in his game that teams could expose early in his career, hence his performances in the '07 Finals & '11 Finals and against Boston in '08 & '10

Yeah, agreed.

I will say that LeBron was more unrestrained back then; he didn't care as much about his field goal percentage. He jacked up shots instinctively, like Kobe. Kind of cool to look back at it.

[LAL]

Absolutely ridiculous take :oldlol: LeBron while still great had legitimate flaws in his game that teams could expose early in his career, hence his performances in the '07 Finals & '11 Finals and against Boston in '08 & '10

07 finals was bad but a learning experience and accomplishment. After 08 give or take, he got worse and more of a lazy stat padder with great historic superteams after losing his balls each year it seemed. Just how i see it.

[Im Still Ballin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGv_Na2asCc

Only 40 point playoff game the Pistons allowed in '04 or '05

:bowdown:

[Airupthere]

Unpopular opinion: Besides stats, lebron was never better than his first few years, more ballsy and took more risks, used his midrange jumper more. Got absolutely more boring and stale as he got older.

I prefer the early lebron james who was just out there competing and proving himself. MIA lebron and onwards was just too much fluff. Superteaming, flopping, traveling, complaining, attention seeking, etc is just too much.

[LAL]

I prefer the early lebron james who was just out there competing and proving himself. MIA lebron and onwards was just too much fluff. Superteaming, flopping, traveling, complaining, attention seeking, etc is just too much.

Exactly, perfectly described.

[kennethdrippin]

LeBron always been a superior player than Kobe.

especially in 2009 vs the magic

:roll:

[FKAri]

I prefer the early lebron james who was just out there competing and proving himself. MIA lebron and onwards was just too much fluff. Superteaming, flopping, traveling, complaining, attention seeking, etc is just too much.

MIA Lebron was just better at basketball. The rest is about your feelings.

[Lebron23]

especially in 2009 vs the magic

:roll:

He averaged more points. And put up better all around numbers than Kobe.

[ShawkFactory]

especially in 2009 vs the magic

:roll:

It can certainly be argued, yes.

[LAL]

It can certainly be argued, yes.

Do you mean actually performance or stats?

[ShawkFactory]

Do you mean actually performance or stats?

Performance.

The stats cannot be argued.

[kennethdrippin]

Performance.

The stats cannot be argued.

i argue that lebron pre 2012 was a stat padding cancerous ball hog that didn't know how to run an offense and set up guys properly. he held the ball literally 90% of the time and only had 8 assists.. he scored a lot but he took his team completely out of rhythm

he was a poor decision maker and didn't make others around him better. in fact i doubt he's ever been able to do that. the only guys that ever did better with lebron were isolation guys

[ShawkFactory]

i argue that lebron pre 2012 was a stat padding cancerous ball hog that didn't know how to run an offense and set up guys properly. he held the ball literally 90% of the time and only had 8 assists.. he scored a lot but he took his team completely out of rhythm

he was a poor decision maker and didn't make others around him better. in fact i doubt he's ever been able to do that. the only guys that ever did better with lebron were isolation guys

And I'd say you don't make very good arguments.