Sports

LeBron’s death-defying feat

NOT that I’ve seen LeBron play all that often, you understand, but from the outset of last night’s leisurely Boston Harbor cruise, he appeared more unemotionally transfixed than ever before, a motion later seconded by Dwyane Wade.

The closest the man possessed came to confirming suspicions he was in a hypnotic state was an admission of being in a zone he has frequented, though infrequently.

(Where was the Celtics’ zone, the one that caused so much consternation for the Heat in Game 5, not to mention the one the victorious Mavericks put on Miami in last year’s Finals? That is the question).

Only once during James’ 45-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist regal recital, which places him on the same playoff pedestal as Wilt Chamberlain and nobody else in NBA history, did he lose his concentration. And that was self-inflicted.

Angry for allowing Rajon Rondo to take a rebound out of his reach and deposit it in the receptacle, he slammed the ball on the palace parquet and it bounced into the stands, an automatic technical foul. Other than that insignificant sliver and six meaningless misses out of 26 shots it was an impeccable masterpiece by a commonly unpopular artist whose wondrous work will never be judged good enough until the Heat win the last game of the season.

Wasting the favored Celtics, 98-79, and deadlocking the Eastern Conference semis at 3-3 on the road, was a colossal step toward that end. Hardly anybody believed the Heat would be able to scale their supposed psychologically destructive home defeat and accompanying character/competence assassination by the majority of TV critics:

LeBron had no heart. Dwyane Wade was selfish and on the decline. Chris Bosh was having a hard time coming back from a C-Section. Coach Erik Spoelstra should still be the team’s video coordinator. And Pat Riley had failed to provide a 7-foot centrifugal force.

In the past, LeBron hasn’t exactly distinguished himself when faced with such adverse conditions and slanderous accusations.

This time, he detonated upon impact. By halftime, LeBron had amassed 30 points and maintained that hunger after intermission as if still famished. At the same time, he starved Paul Pierce (4-of-18 FG) at the defensive end. Wade did the same thing to Rondo after getting the second half assignment.

How bad were the Celtics? Kevin Garnett (6-of-14 and five rebounds) wasted breaking a sweat. Ray Allen (3-of-7) couldn’t cut hard on aching ankles. Mickael Pietrus (1-of-4) left his talents in South Beach. And Keyon Dooling (0-2) returned to journeyman status.

It was as if Sidney Wicks, Curtis Rowe and Darren Daye had walked through that door.

How great was LeBron? It was as if he held a player-only meeting between Games 5 & 6.

Completely overlooked by TV’s arsenal of analysts is his overall domination of Pierce. Yes, he hit the one big shot in Game 5, but he’s

33-113 for the series, 10-37 (27 percent) in his last two games.

For that matter, Pierce has been on the slope right through the playoffs: Atlanta .426; Philadelphia.402; Miami .336. That’s .386 for the playoffs, folks.

It’s utterly amazing the Ancient Men of the C’s got this far. I doubt a team has ever advance to The Finals with its second leading scorer misfiring at that clip.

Pierce simply cannot take LeBron off the dribble. Against Andre Iguodala, he got to the foul line eight times per. Versus LeBron, it’s half. Having focused so much on Garnett and Rondo, the media has lost sight of Pierce’s ineffectiveness and given him a pass.

Two burning questions remain: How could LeBron possibly perform at his best without receiving a message of encouragement from Shaquille O’Neal?

And how many of us will make the mistake to bury Boston long before Game 7 tips off in Miami tomorrow night?

peter.vecsey@nypost.com