LeBron James: Do You Still Care?

LeBron James has begun this season’s NBA playoffs with another win, but does it even matter what he does on the court anymore?

The best time of the year is officially under way with the beginning of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Now, while the first batch of games featured too many one-sided routs, one game that stuck out was the matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons.

The outcome may have been what most had already predicted (a home win for the Cavaliers), but the manner in which it came about was not.

There were tons of lead changes, with the Pistons a constant threat from beyond the arc as well. They made a sizzling 51.7 percent of their three-point efforts, with Detroit getting big contributions out of Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

For the Cavaliers, they had both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love healthy in the postseason once more, with Irving scoring a game-high 31 points. Irving and Love each shot 50 percent from three-point range as well (Love going 4-for-8 and Irving 5-for-10) a telling contribution on the night.

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The Pistons gave it their best shot, and it was a surprisingly good one, yet still came up short. The Cavaliers should win the series with ease now.

Notice anything yet? We’ve managed to speak about a solid Cleveland performance in the playoffs for nearly 200 words now without bringing up the name LeBron James. Why is that? After all, he played a game-high 40:51, logging a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds) in the process. He was as dependable as he always is.

That’s the thing though; this go-round for James feels different. Not in a sense that the goal is different; the outlook remains the same and that is to bring a championship back to Cleveland.

But watching Game 1 on Sunday evening while on social media (I can’t actually remember what it’s like to watch a sporting event of any kind and not do this, which is equal parts scary and sad) it felt like James was no longer the center of attention.

In many ways he’s not anymore. He’s still the most dominant player in the world, but he is no longer the best (that would be Stephen Curry), reigning MVP (also Curry) nor does he play for the best team in the league (depending on who you ask, that’s the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs).

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He’s not doing anything wrong or even vastly different, it’s just that it’s no longer the most important topic of conversation among fans and media types alike. That is not to say he is operating in the shadows completely, Twitter was still awash with James talk for the duration of Game 1 and for hours following the game.

But it now begs the question: Do you care about LeBron James and what he does anymore? His storybook career, complete with shock villainous turn and eventual redemption, are safely in the history books. So too is his return to Cleveland; he’ll forever be known as the guy who went back to at least try and right the wrongs of his initial departure. He’s a boring old good guy once more.

He was able to win championships and to this point has appeared in the same amount of NBA Finals as Michael Jordan (even if their records are quite different at the big dance). It’s as if his remarkable consistency has turned some fans away from what he’s about to do in this postseason. They’re desensitized to his greatness.

What’s the point in tuning in to watch James coast to the Finals, mauling the likes of the Pistons on the way? We’ve seen it all before, numerous times in fact. It’s even harder to care when we know that he’ll likely fall short once more at the final hurdle, as he’ll come face to face with one of the two greatest teams of all time.

Whether it’s the sexy, sleek Warriors or the dogged, determined Spurs whom James already has a history with, both organizations are leagues ahead of anything the Cavaliers have put on the court since the return of their King. There’s a predictability and almost a sadness to how this season will end for James and his team.

As for the rest of the Cavaliers team though? Well they’re unpredictable, colorful and entertaining for a whole host of reasons. Does Love still feel like the unappreciated half-brother and will his performances reflect that? Will Irving continue to dazzle offensively, while also sinking to James Harden levels of defensive lapses from time to time?

J.R. Smith thinks it’s cool to do things like this with his own teammates and Tristan Thompson, despite being a fabulous player at times, is vastly overpaid for the services he provides for this team given the other personnel they possess.

All of these players and their respective stories are at least more varied than that of James, the individual tasked with banding them all together in the hopes of winning a title.

So I ask you again: Do you still care about LeBron James and all that he is doing in the NBA today? We’ve had well over a decade of the basketball world revolving around his every move, and at 31 years of age the end of his prime is at least on the horizon. He can’t shoot the three point shot like so many others in the league today and his team are no longer year long favorites to win it all.

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Have we outgrown the most dominant player of the last decade? Do you even care?