Has LeBron James flipped his "ON" switch

[Christopherson]

So everyone has been on LeBron's case all year about not playing hard enough. I agree. I think he has definatley been on cruise control for most of the season. That being said, he has still led his cast of has beens to the second best record in the East. Judging by his play recently, I'm begging to wonder if he was coasting on purpose, knowing that in order to carry his team through a deep playoff run, he was going to need lots of energy. Playing over the summer made it so that if he played his ass off every game all season long, he would be spent come playoff time. So what do you all think. LeBron has been kicking ass as of late. Do you think he is just "flipping the switch" and gearing up for a playoff run? If so, is it a wise decision?

Personally, I think he is flippin the switch, and I'm not so sure it's not such a bad idea. If he can take 60 games off and still lead his team to the number 2 seed, why not save all of that energy for the playoffs, where he knows he is going to have to average about 35/10/8 in order for the Cavs to make a deep run.

[beau_boy04]

36.6, 6.6, 6.8 for the past 5 games

very well done!

but does 10-20 games make u a mvp for the season?

[Tuomas]

Well if the mofos have picked Nash for two years in a row they can pick Lebron this year if he continues his play imo.

[Melo_Poland]

i would rather take dirk kobe or tmac

[jonthefon]

Doubt that LeBron will get the MVP this year. I mean, he's still scoring his regular 25 points a game, but you just can't pass Dirk, Nash or Kobe who've all stepped it up this season. And you can naturally refer to the standings as proof.

[beau_boy04]

if Cleveland win the rest of their games I think they will have to give it to LB.

[3P]

That big of a winnig streak is extremly rare regardless of this seasons streaks.

[BIG GREEN]

MVP seems more of a reward for having a good winning season than individual performance...and with the cavs record..he deserves it over kobe, t-mac etc.

[Jackal]

But not over Dirk...

[maes]

Coasting the regular season is usually a strategy employed by older veterans like Tim Duncan and Shaq.

LeBron is 24 years old, and is a PF body playing like a SG/SF and completely oversizes all his defenders. He's got loads of rebounding help in Z, Gooden, and Varejao. He doesn't guard zippy PGs. He's in the slower Eastern Conference. There's no reason for him to coast for most of the season.

That being said i don't think he performed badly this season ...the guy is an elite player. He may just be a disappointment to those expecting Michael Jordan part 2.

[Christopherson]

Actually, he is only 22. Anyways, I'm not talking about MVP's and stuff. I don't think he's gotta shot unless he absolutley dominates and his team only loses 2-3 more games all season and gets the one seed. What I am asking is, do you all thin he was purposely coasting because he knew he had to save energy for the playoffs so he could carry his team? If you think so, do you think it is a wise decision? Personally, I don't think its a bad idea. Usually veteren players are the ones to do it because they are old and wise enough to know that if they play their asses off all year, by the time the get up around 100 games into the season they are pretty much spent.

[cyanide]

He seems to be putting the on switch, but I'd refuse to give an MVP to him if he's been on cruise control for the first 60 games of the season, which is unfair to other players who worked their ass off all season (Nash, Dirk). And what's with the talk of T-Mac for MVP? He doesn't deserve it, not even close.

[nylia]

well. its a smart move by him. if he actually tried to avg 30-7-7 this season, then he'd be dead tired by playoffs and they'd get killed.

smart move. get into playoffs, possibly home court first couple rounds then just be LBJ


edit: i also think he's getting his teammates more comfortable, e.g. pavlovic and varejao. he passes to them a lot and tries to get them into the game.

so come playoff time, everyone is ready.. not just him

does that make any sense? lol

[scrub]

If LeBron really comes good playoff time they CAN make the finals. It's a big statement but look at the Cavs record so far with LeBron in cruise control with the rest of his team not exactly lighting up. If he plays like he did last year they can beat Miami or Detroit. They were very close last year and judging by his recent performance over the Cavs it shows how much he can do when he gets in his zone.

[cheater1034]

LeBron has flipped his on switch, he has had 10 29+ point games in a row, and he's shooting about 56% in the 10 games.

Larry Hughes is finally complementing him now that he found his role as a PG, and it is really opening up his game.

Other guys are stepping up now (Sasha, Gibson, Shannon Brown, Z, Gooden, Varejao, Donyell Marsh.) Which opens up LeBron's game greatly. Watch a cavs game in the first half of the season, people double and triple team LeBron (i would too), because there is no other serious threats on the team, that is what slowed LBJ down a lot. But recently everybody in the starting 5 is being feared, so LeBron is taking a lot more people in 1 on 1 and he is winning every time.

This is sort of like Shaq complementing D. Wade, except they fear the whole team because they all are stepping up. With shaq in, they cant double team D wade, or shaq will get easy feeds inside, and they cant double team Shaq either because the outside game will get lit up, and it will open lanes for D Wade.

----
As far as MVP goes:

Kobe - doesn't deserve it just because of his attitude. I know he leads his team, but no differently than anyone else. These suspensions are ridiculous because it was obviously on purpose.

T-Mac - Is a good player, but won't win it over Nash, Dirk, LeBron, Kobe.

Dirk has a great team around him, so he's not criticized at all -- Unlike LeBron who has no team around him and gets criticized for having a 22 point game with 40% shooting.

The only way LBJ will win MVP is if the team wins 48+ games this year. :-p

He is on fire though, with an outside game, incredible inside scoring ability, UNBELIEVABLE DEFENSE LATELY (check sports center today - play #9 i think), incredible outside scoring, and a sense of leadership that he never really had before this 10 game hot streak for him in his entire career.

If he keeps this up, the cavs will win their next 4, (indiana, milwaukee, sacramento, memphis), and theres a good change detroit will lose 3/4 they have (Denver, dallas, houston, san antonio) which means the cavs will take over the #1 spot.

[Shi]

I think last year's MVP was Kobe's,those sob's just took it away from him just because Nash didn't have Amare... well Shaq ain't got Wade this year and Miami's still positive,damnit! but now it's REALLY Nash's year,and the MVP is his or Dirk's... I'd pick T-Mac for doing all this shit without Yao though,but still,Dirk's gonna be the first Euro MVP.
BTW LeBron made the right desicion. He's hella good statisticly(Is that written correctly?)but he wasn't the same. But now he's the same Bron we all know,and I've been expecting his first 40 Point Game of the season for a few weeks now,and here it is... He can even get some rest against Indy\Orl\New J\Whatever in the 1st round,and THEN play MVP ball. oh yeah,If Miami wasn't that injured this year,Wade would've done the same thing.

[Abctest123]

Kobe - doesn't deserve it just because of his attitude. I know he leads his team, but no differently than anyone else. These suspensions are ridiculous because it was obviously on purpose.

Err, explain? Your basing this judgement on his two one game suspensions? You criticize his attitude yet hes known throughout as one of the most intense and hard working players in the league? Gimme a break.

[Jackal]

That you even bothered replying to that crap he called a post. Stupid fanboy.