LeBron James shows he can really play basketball
Jerry Brewer | THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
Issue date: 7/10/03 Section: Sports
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ORLANDO, Fla. (KRT) - So now we understand a little.
LeBron James can play. He can really play.
He swiveled and contorted his body on one astonishing reverse. He whisked passes by defender's ears and into teammates' hands. He dunked and made himself look all tough afterward, kind of like how Tracy McGrady does.
James, the ballyhooed prep star, glided to the hoop and the hoopla at TD Waterhouse Centre on Tuesday night. He was impressive. An announced summer league crowd of 15,123 buzzed a little for James' first NBA exhibition, got giddy at times and then left intrigued, if not blown away.
They left with the understanding that there is more to come from James. Most will probably want to witness his journey.
After a night that ended with a stat line of 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists, James walked calmly off the court as lingering fans lunged over a rail. The crazy hype did not faze him.
He has a certain swagger, doesn't he?
"This ain't nothing new to me," James said. "Y'all know. I get a lot of exposure."
Still learning this league, James managed to run a team and play to a crowd that watched his every move. In the layup line before the game, James and Darius Miles put on an informal dunk display. After one thunderous dunk from Miles, James sprinted toward the basket and ... softly laid the ball in the hoop.
The crowd booed. James laughed.
He had them from the start.
He did most of his damage in the first quarter. He had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in that period. James began with a steal and dunk. Then, he slipped in for a backdoor layup. Later, he threw a no-look pass to center DeSagana Diop for a layup.
And, finally, he had his most memorable play. He swooped to the basket for a crazy reverse layup, flipping the ball up with his right hand just before his feet hit the ground.
It ended an amazing, fascinating display. James wowed this crowd of Magic followers, who get to watch McGrady 41 times a year.
"That was pretty fun," James said. "I like playing with the bigger crowds. I play better."
At the first quarter, James had some struggles. He turned the ball over twice in the third quarter when the Magic pressed him. After one errant pass, forward Britton Johnsen - a former University of Utah standout who is trying to make it in the league - dunked over him.
"I got lucky, I guess," Johnsen said. "I'm living in a kind of different world than he is. I'm coming from the back, back, back door to the NBA."
Said James: "I get dunked on a lot in practice."
Cleveland won the game 107-80. Point guard Reece Gaines, the Magic's first round draft pick last month, had 16 points and five assists. Second-round selection Keith Bogans led all scorers with 24 points.
This game was nothing compared to true NBA competition, and he knows it.
He exited his first semi-NBA competition with a minor calf bruise and did not play the fourth quarter, but he sat mostly because the game was a blowout.
And so now James' act will move to a more private setting, away from raucous crowds and into a smaller setting closed to the public. The remaining four days of this event are at RDV Sportsplex and will be closed to the public.
But even in this brief glimpse, one thing is certain: James can bring a crowd.
"You ride the waves of the NBA and the excitement of the NBA," said Chris D'Orso, the Magic's director of marketing. "He is the exciting new thing out there now."
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