3. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Rank: No. 2
Position: Small Forward
Age: 31
Slash Line: .502/.299/.716
Season Averages: 35.7 MPG, 25.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 1.2 3PM
With a shot at redemption, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers came up short against the Golden State Warriors—and that’s a severe understatement. Playing on its home floor, Cleveland lost 132-98 in a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals.
James finished with 16 points on 16 field goal attempts and tallied the worst +/- of his 13-year career.
LeBron James: -34 vs Warriors, worst plus-minus in a game in his career
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 19, 2016
It was a rough week for James, as Cleveland also fell to the San Antonio Spurs—a game during which one could argue The King was outplayed by Kawhi Leonard. It was an unwelcome reminder of James’ past two NBA Finals appearances, which he lost to Leonard’s Spurs and Curry’s Warriors.
Fortunately, he played well enough for victory in the other two outings.
James had 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals in a 91-77 victory over the Houston Rockets, and tallied 17 points in 29 minutes during a blowout of the Brooklyn Nets. They weren’t his best performances, but they effectively stabilized a Cavaliers team with the potential to fall apart.
James was closing the gap between he and Stephen Curry, but now, the degree of separation may be too much for the four-time MVP to overcome.
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