MIAMI — Even Magic Johnson has booked passage on the LeBron James bandwagon.
It was last October that the Hall of Famer, who once actually had a television talk show, was trying to deliver a monologue. In a speech at the University of Albany, he quipped, "There's going to always be guys who win championships in the NBA — except LeBron."
Then Johnson compared the Miami Heat star to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
"Everybody's always asking, 'Who is better between Kobe and LeBron?'" Johnson said. "I'm like, 'Are you kidding me? . . . Kobe, five championships. LeBron, zero.'"
Well, take a look at Johnson's Twitter account lately. It sounds as if he's been hired by James' PR firm.
Johnson has tweeted this season that James is "playing like a man who wants to win a championship"; that the forward is "showing why he is the best and most unstoppable player in the NBA"; and that he's "established himself as a frontrunner for MVP."
Sure, there's the thing with the ring still hanging over James' head. But with the season more than a third over, there seems to be no debate anymore that James is the top player in the game and on his way to a no-brainer third MVP award.
"Yeah," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked whether agreed with what Johnson noted about James' front-runner status. "I think he's the best player in basketball."
Spoelstra might not have said that a year ago for fear of offending fellow Heat star Dwyane Wade, who still is the most revered basketball player in Miami. But the statistics for James this season are so off the charts that how can anybody not agree with Spoelstra's assessment?
James is second in the NBA in scoring with a 29.2 average, up from 26.7 last season, his first with the Heat. He's shooting a career-high 55.2 percent and pulling down a career-best 8.5 rebounds. Oh, by the way, he's also averaging 6.8 assists.
Wade sure agrees with what Spoelstra said.
"No one wants to win a championship worse than LeBron James," Wade said. "But when it comes to player talent, it's no argument from that standpoint (of James being the NBA's best player). Obviously, Kobe is arguably one of the greatest players of all time. But when you talk about the most dominant players in this league and the best players, it's no secret LeBron James is that player.
"I think he's having an MVP kind of year. . . . No question that he is front-runner for MVP."
James, working with Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, improved his post game during the offseason. That's one reason why he's pulling down more rebounds and is shooting so well. He's also taking fewer three-pointers, an average of 1.8 per game as opposed to 3.5 last season. But he's still shooting a career-best 41.5 percent from long range.
James is incredibly motivated. The fourth-quarter meltdowns he had in the Heat's NBA Finals loss to Dallas last spring were more than enough to get him to the gym regularly while some other players were taking it easy during the lockout.
"I just didn't finish games well in the Finals," James said. "I beat myself up about that all the time. . . . I got a lot of junk about (not finishing games), and I understand. I understand what this game is all about. I'm on the biggest stage, and I didn't produce for my teammates down the stretch. It hurt me more than anybody to not be there for my teammates in the big moments. So I learned from that, and it's made me a better player, a better person."
And it's resulting in James' best season statistically. His previous bests were 51.0 for field-goal percentage, 35.1 for three-point percentage and 7.9 for rebounding. His top scoring season was 31.4 in 2005-06, a level James doesn't need to reach now because that was when he was toiling for one-man-gang Cleveland.
"I think I've played some good basketball the first third of the season. . . . If you look at the numbers, you would say it is," James said when asked whether he's on pace to have his best NBA season. "But I'll let (the media) break down the numbers more than I do."
They're not too hard to break down. Wade calls James' field-goal percentage "amazing" and says he's a "stat stuffer." Spoelstra said "his numbers are outstanding when you simply look at it across the board," and also pointed out James' lockdown play, sure to again land him on the All-Defensive first team.
Put it all together, and it sure sounds like a third MVP season for James. He previously won with the Cavaliers in 2009 and 2010.
"I don't know," James said about whether he's front-runner for MVP. "There are some great basketball players, individuals in this league. . . . Every time I go out on the basketball court, I try to be the MVP for our team, and I try to lead. I've always tried to carry myself to that standard . . .
"I want to be the best, and any time fans leave the game, hopefully they can say, 'LeBron was the best player on the court tonight.' I just hold myself to that standard."
With winning being part of the MVP equation, the Heat have the third-best record in the NBA at 18-6. That's just barely behind Chicago (at 20-6) and Oklahoma City (at 18-5). Both of those teams feature the only players with any kind of shot this season to deny James another MVP.
Bulls guard Derrick Rose won it last season. But his scoring average is down from 25.0 to 23.6, and Rose was helped last season by the immediate backlash from James bolting as a free agent from Cleveland to Miami in the fashion he did.
Thunder forward Kevin Durant will hoist the Maurice Podoloff Trophy one of these days. But his scoring average also is down this season, from 27.7 to 26.8, although he is shooting better and pulling down more boards.
"Yeah, I agree," Heat forward Udonis Haslem said of James being the MVP front-runner. "I don't think it's debatable at all. He's definitely the best player in the league. I'm not just saying that because he's on my team."
A guy who for years was part owner of the Lakers thinks the same thing. And if James does win another MVP, he will join Johnson in a very select group.
The only seven players in NBA history with at least three such trophies are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four), Larry Bird (three), Moses Malone (three) and Johnson (three).
If James gets another, no doubt Johnson will tweet his approval. But if James' Heat don't win the championship in the spring, well, stay tuned to see what Johnson has to say at a podium.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
