LOS ANGELES -- Welcome to Michael Jordan territory, LeBron.
On a night meant to showcase and celebrate everything the NBA has to offer, LeBron James shook off for at least one night a season of villainy to deliver a historic All-Star Game performance.
The Miami Heat star single-handedly kept the Eastern Conference close with a stat line that bogglers the mind: 29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists.
A triple-double.
Before Sunday night, only Jordan had accomplished that feat in an All-Star Game.
"Just tried to showcase my talent on both ends of the floor defending, rebounding, scoring," LeBron said. "Tried to help our team to victory. We came up short and you know, for me, I'm all about winning. So just a little disappointed in our game. Disappointed that we didn't win."
No, but it wasn't for a lack of LeBron's incredible effort or another star's incredible response. Kobe Bryant's MVP-worthy performance and 37 points were enough to boost the Western Conference to a 148-143 win over LeBron and the East.
Nonetheless, LeBron's performance was an act of basketball wizardry against the league's top players. So much so that even Kevin Garnett, no fan of the Heat, was jumping up and down rooting for LeBron through much of his 32 minutes of excellence.
"Well, that's just KG," Eastern Conference and Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "He wanted to win."
On Sunday night, if that was the goal, there was no one better to ride than LeBron. But the question going forward for the Heat and LeBron himself remains a simple one: Is the greatness displayed under the lights of an All-Star Game, greatness given in a situation that presents no real pressure, transferable to the playoffs -- when so much more will be at stake?
The Heat should hope so. The Big Three earned their name among the best players across the country Sunday. Dwyane Wade, before leaving with an ankle injury deemed not too serious, scored 14 points. Chris Bosh tacked on 14 more.
No one doubts the Big Three's talent. Yet it's their grit and ability under the weight of, say, a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics that hangs over them.
The world knows it. The Celtics know it. The Heat know it. LeBron knows it.
Even at an All-Star Game he dominated along with Kobe.
"For the last third of the season we have to understand that we cannot afford to take a step backwards," LeBron said. "We have to keep moving forward. Every game. Every practice. Every film session. We have to continue to get better because there are teams out there that's better than us right now."
Speaking of which, it was interesting that the Celtics' Big Four logged a total of 55 minutes. The Heat's Big Three logged 73 minutes, a number limited by Wade's injury.
That made for a night in which the Heat wore themselves out -- by injury and by LeBron's commendable desire to deliver greatness for fans and to win. Salute his competitive instincts, sure. Just hope, Heat fans, that he didn't wear himself out too much for a game that will do nothing toward getting him a ring.
"You know, you get out here and you know, once you get on the court and the referee gets to blowing the whistle and you start putting up points, and guys are defending, competitive nature takes over," LeBron said. "And you want to win."
Yes. Of course. And almost single-handedly he nearly used all of his magnificent gifts to do just that.
It was a performance worthy of Michael's Jordan's All-Star legacy.
Now, to notch one worthy of Jordan's much-more lasting legacy, LeBron needs to find a way to take what he did Sunday and accomplish it in the playoffs.
Because being remarkable in the All-Star Game is great.
But being remarkable in a championship-winning series is legendary.
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