LeBron James inspired by ghost of Jordan
wo years ago when he almost single-handedly pushed a then merely awesome Golden State Warriors team to a sixth game in the NBA finals, LeBron James found himself at the post-match conference, mic in hand, pondering whether he’d have been better off if his Cleveland Cavaliers hadn’t reached the finals at all.
It was his fifth straight season playing into June, his second straight finishing runner-up. For all the ridiculously- demanding schedules there are now in world team sport – rugby players touring into July, reporting for preseason in August – the NBA’s is particularly gruelling with its Denver one night, Detroit the next itinerary. James by this point had been on that treadmill, that plane for 12 years. As well as playing on average 75 regular-season games a year, a typical season for him such as this particular 2014-2015 campaign lasted a full two months longer than for a player whose team had failed to reach the play-offs.
