Recently, LeBron James caused a bit of a stir in the basketball community when he lamented that there are no more rivalries in the NBA. Then he went out Wednesday night against the Pacers and proved he simply wasn’t telling the truth.
James finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 36 minutes in the Heat’s 97-94 win over the Pacers in Miami – all while playing on a sprained ankle that had him listed as a game-time decision throughout the day. So why did James risk playing on an injured ankle in mid-December?
“It would be hard to miss this one,” James told reporters before the game.
Of course it would have been. The Heat and Pacers are the runaway top two teams in the Eastern Conference, and two of the five best teams in the entire NBA. The Pacers entered Wednesday’s game with a two-game lead for first place in the East, with one win over the Heat already in hand. A second Miami loss would put them in danger of losing the season series and add another impediment to locking up homecourt advantage, something they needed in both the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals last season.
So, of course, James took the floor to square off against a Pacers team that has established itself as a legitimate rival to the Heat, going toe-to-toe with them in the past two postseasons. Paul George has made a credible argument to be the league’s third best player behind James and Kevin Durant and arguably its best two-way player. James and Brooklyn native Lance Stephenson have plenty of history already. Pacers forward David West won’t back down from anyone.
For all of James’ talk about the lack of rivalries in the NBA, it was simply another trick out of Pat Riley’s vast playbook: Don’t give any of your equals any credit or treat them as if they actually are equals. But, as always, actions speak louder than words, which is why James playing Wednesday with a sprained ankle spoke volumes.
James was so fired up for the contest he even got into teammate Mario Chalmers’ face during a timeout, but quickly apologized.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses):
1. Thunder (2): Oklahoma City keeps on rolling, winners of seven straight and 15 of its last 16, as the combination of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook remains the most lethal 1-2 punch in basketball.
2. Heat (4): You have to get lucky to win a title, especially to win multiple titles, and the latest stroke of luck for the Heat is the absolute disaster that is the Eastern Conference this season, which has allowed them to rest Dwyane Wade frequently to keep him fresh for another long playoff run.
3. Trail Blazers (3): You know you’re in a brutal division when you win eight of 10 games and fall out of first place. That Portland is second in the Northwest Division (behind the Thunder) while the Blazers would be 10 games up in the Atlantic is another sign of how silly divisions are.
4. Clippers (8): Responded well to losing to the Nets last week in Brooklyn by reeling off three straight wins – including blowing out the Spurs at home after returning to the West Coast from a seven-game road trip.
5. Pacers (1): Now 6-4 in their last 10 games following a 14-1 start, the Pacers are beginning to come back down to Earth just a bit. The Eastern Conference could very well be decided by who holds homecourt, which makes losses like Monday’s at home against the Pistons potentially damaging.
6. Spurs (3): San Antonio still lacks a “signature” win, but that doesn’t change the Spurs being 20-5 and in third place in the loaded Western Conference. And if there is any team in the NBA that doesn’t have to prove itself to anyone, it’s the Spurs.
7. Nuggets (6): Over the next 10 days or so, we’ll find out a lot about the middle class of the Western Conference as many of the teams play each other. Denver has games against Phoenix, the Clippers and Golden State in the next four days, two of which come in the Mile High City.
8. Suns (9): There is no shame in losing a close game at home to the Spurs, especially for a young team still trying to learn how to win. The question for Phoenix now, though, is do they go for a playoff berth this season or opt to move players and get into the lottery as originally planned?
9. Rockets (8): Houston will put Omer Asik trade talks on hold after not finding a suitable offer for the center, according to Yahoo! Sports. This allows the most inane trade saga in recent memory to drag on.
10. Mavericks (11): As the Mavericks continue to impress, they have upcoming games in Phoenix and Houston that will give them a chance to get a leg up in the very competitive Western Conference playoff race.
11. Warriors (10): Stephen Curry gets the most attention on the Warriors and deservedly so, given his incredible ability to light up the scoreboard from behind the arc. But the most important player on Golden State’s roster is Andre Iguodala, as he proved by having an immediate impact in his return from a hamstring injury in Tuesday’s win over New Orleans.
12. Timberwolves (14): With a brutal opening third of the season behind them, now is the time to see whether or not the Timberwolves are capable of making a move in the West as they head into a soft part of their schedule.
13. Hawks (13): They remain to be the only team besides Indiana and Miami that’s over .500 in the pathetic Eastern Conference. It still remains to be seen what Hawks GM Danny Ferry thinks of this group, and how he’ll approach the upcoming trade deadline.
14. Wizards (16): Now the kings of New York – not that it’s a hard accomplishment to attain these days – after back-to-back wins over the Knicks and Nets, the Wizards have a fairly soft schedule in front of them.
15. Pistons (18): Impressive week for the Pistons, with wins over the Nets, Pacers, Celtics and a last-second loss to the Trail Blazers. It appears the many new pieces the Pistons are trying to fit together under first-year coach Maurice Cheeks are starting to come together.
16. Pelicans (14): Having tread water until Anthony Davis returned from a broken hand, the Pelicans sit just three games out of a playoff spot. If they can stay healthy from here on out, they should be able to make a strong playoff push.
17. Bobcats (17): Charlotte continues to remain a playoff team as we move deeper into the season, making what once would have seemed like an improbable trip to the tournament more likely by the day.
18. Cavaliers (21): Even in back-to-back losses to the Heat and Trail Blazers, the Cavaliers continued to look like they’ve begun to turn the corner. But if they want to get back into the playoff picture in the East, they’re going to have to start putting together some wins.
19. Lakers (19): It’s now six straight weeks at No. 19 for the Lakers, who continue to hover a couple of games below .500 in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s return. He’s been predictably up-and-down as he regains his form following offseason Achilles surgery.
20. Celtics (25): Boston was rumored to be heavily involved in the Asik trade talks, which would be a radical departure from where the team was expected to be this season. But with Rajon Rondo expected back soon and the Atlantic Division in shambles, perhaps re-tooling and going for a division title makes some sense.
21. Grizzlies (15): With Quincy Pondexter out for the season, it seems Memphis has no chance of making the playoffs. So what should the Grizzlies do now? Trading away veteran players to rebuild around Marc Gasol and Mike Conley seems to be the smart option.
22. Nets (22): The Nets remain here by default, given how dreadful the teams behind them have been. Wednesday’s home loss to the Wizards is the kind of game this team needs to win if they want to start climbing out of the giant hole.
23. Raptors (25): General manager Masai Ujiri has surprised everyone by not following up the Rudy Gay trade with more moves, but it seems inevitable that Kyle Lowry, among others, will be out the door soon.
24. Knicks (24): The Knicks are already a mess, but imagine how much worse things would be if they had failed to hang on after blowing a 23-point lead to Chicago last week, or lost Wednesday after Andrea Bargnani’s ill-advised 3-pointer late in the first overtime against Milwaukee?
25. Jazz (29): The Jazz are 6-10 with Trey Burke in the lineup, another reminder how essential good point guard play is in today’s NBA, where the lack of hand checking on the perimeter has made it easier for guards to penetrate into the lane than ever before.
26. Kings (27): The Kings have lost four of five since acquiring Rudy Gay – but the one win came over a legitimate playoff team in the West in the Rockets. It’s going to take some time to see how Gay meshes alongside DeMarcus Cousins, among others, in Sacramento.
27. Magic (26): With a 2-8 mark in their last 10 games, it’s pretty clear the Magic are sticking to the plan of developing their young players and being bad for one more season as they look to add one more significant long-term piece in the draft.
28. Bulls (25): The Bulls continue to sink like a stone, losers of four straight as the injuries continue to mount. Speculation has begun about whether they will break up their core. You have to think they will, given how expensive the roster is and what direction the team is headed in.
29. 76ers (27): Finally, a ray of hope for the Sixers, who get rookie Michael Carter-Williams back in their lineup for Friday night’s game against the Nets. That’s about the only positive thing that can be said about them right now.
30. Bucks (25): Rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo is now officially into the starting lineup for the Bucks, giving fans in Milwaukee something fun to watch. But Wednesday’s game against the Knicks showed just how limited this team is, and it doesn’t look likely to get better anytime soon.