21. At, 21-years-old, fresh off of graduating from the University of Massachusetts, I had the privilege to go to my first Eastern Conference Finals game. Though I attended the celebrated contest with my childhood friend, him and I resided on different sides of the spectrum when it came to who we were supporting. As you’ll find in the photo below, I was rocking with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, while he was advocating for the hometown Celtics in his Larry Bird jersey. Somewhat subtle in the backdrop of the image is the Conference Finals banner bound to the bleachers. As an enthusiast of any championship-specific pennants, pins, or hats that feature a fresh logo in honor of the crowning event, I love seeing signs like that scattered throughout the premise. My appreciation for this aspect of sports is further felt with the lid on my head: an Adidas-branded, black, Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Finals Champions Locker Room hat.
21. The amount of points that arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, LeBron James, had in the first quarter of play. He hit four threes, and almost outscored the entire Celtics team (23) by himself. To this day, 21 points is the most that LeBron has dropped in a single period in any playoff game. Everyone around me was shook, but I was ecstatic. Even if he didn’t get another basket, I was content, as the showdown was already blog-worthy just 12 minutes into the action.
21. James, who despite missing minutes in the second quarter after suffering a strained neck in a freak collision, dropped 21 more points in the contest. Although the Cavs came up short, James put on a performance for the ages. The King finished with 42 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. Given where we were at in the year, it was one of the most impressive 40-piece triple doubles I had ever seen. Only a handful of players have had 40-point triple doubles in a Conference Finals/Finals game (the great Charles Barkley being one of them, 43/15/10 in Game 5 of the 1993 NBA Western Conference Finals against Gary Payton and the Seattle Supersonics), so it was quite the spectacle to see. Despite the team’s shortcoming, as a fan of LeBron, I couldn’t have asked for better performance. When you get the chance to see an all-world talent, all you can do is pray that the player will operate as an elite version of themselves. By good fortune, I got to see the best player in the world at the peak of his powers.
21. The age when I realized that LeBron James is the most complete basketball player in the history of the sport.
LIFE LESSON: Don’t be afraid to go against the grain. Supporting LeBron in the TD Garden is anything but recommended, but it led to an all-time fan experience.
Jeremy’s Journal is Jeremy’s way of expressing his gratitude to the world. At the end of each 500-1,000 word post, he will include a ‘Life Lesson’ of some kind. His goal is to remind himself, and his readers, how awesome everyone’s journey can be when perceived through the proper lens.