“He went dormant thinking-wise” is a great call by the announcer on that Harden play. Up there with Mike Fratello responding to a JaVale McGee blooper “He has a thought-process problem.”
That clip did him a favor not showing the whole sequence. Zero explosiveness. He needs to get back in the lab. He looked totally washed on this play. Like Chris Paul the last year he was here when he couldn’t beat guys off the dribble anymore.
I think it’s safe to say that James is past his prime. He won’t be averaging 40 points over the course of a month anymore. He is like one of those power running backs that got too many carries year in and year out. A person’s body can only withstand so much abuse. For him the abuse was on and off the court. He could party and gain weight and still be an elite player when he was younger, but Father Time is as they say undefeated. Time to commit himself to the game if he really cares about being an integral part of winning a ring and not end up like LMA and Blake Griffin playing the role of a role player and ring chaser on a title contender. I hate to see him like this, but some of this is self inflicted. If he gets his body right like Chris Paul did, he will be dominant again. Maybe not Rockets version dominant, but maybe he can at least be what he was for BKN last year again.
