I find one of the most fascinating things about living where I live is that I can regularly head to trails in the nearby mountains and see actual wild bears. Growing up in cities in Texas and Florida, I assumed bears to be wild beasts you’d only encounter in either fairly exotic environs or, more likely, a zoo. So when I realized you could see bear just hanging out in the woods during a weekend jog, or maybe even strolling through your backyard, I was awestruck, like I just tasted Nutella for the first time. But, despite this infatuation with what increasingly seemed like a friendly neighbor, I was reminded of this by local residents. Give the bear its space. It might seem friendly and probably wants nothing to do with you, but you’d be wise not to poke it.
That is the lesson for Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks, whose team just fell to a 3 games to 1 deficit to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference NBA playoffs, a series the second seeded Grizz were expected to win over a Lakers team that’s struggled to find consistency all season. After evening the series at one game each, Brooks told reporters he didn’t worry about trash talking LA’s 38-year-old LeBron James during the game, because, as Brooks said, “he’s old.” Brooks went on about how he pokes the bear, and how LeBron needs to score 40 on him to earn his respect. Shot fired.
Since that time, the Lakers have won two straight, including a magnificent performance by James in Game 4 where he scored 22 and grabbed 20 rebounds, the first time in his 20 year NBA career he’s broken 20 boards and the oldest player in NBA history to get 20 and 20 in the playoffs. Brooks, on the other hand, was ejected from game three for punching in the direction of James’ groin. So if someone were to ask whether it was a good idea for Dillon Brooks to agitate perhaps the greatest player in the history of the game and challenge his ability to perform as an NBA senior, the easy answer would be no.
Of course, there are other reasons why the Lakers are winning – starting with Anthony Davis. But this series, and the recognition that the Lakers may win more than just the first round despite a lackluster regular season – and yes, it makes me sick too – brings to light the more obvious question of age and basketball. At 38, James is at the age where the body should no longer do the things it must to dominate a sport of explosive athleticism. At least that is common perception. And to be fair, it would be hard to consider LeBron to be the same athlete he was 10 years ago, when he could essentially change the trajectory of a franchise through sheer athletic will. And he does take more days off than he used to – load management, as they call it. But we can’t help but back our way into the cliché that age is just a number, and a bunch of other things we’re likely to get really, really sick of this presidential cycle.
All that said, I’d be cautious of taking this thought process too far. While LeBron James may still be able to take over a game when he wants to, that doesn’t change the inherent calculus that is sport and human physiology. LeBron isn’t simply great because of his athletic prowess. He’s great because he’s, well, LeBron James, which is this masterful confluence of athleticism and basketball IQ and competitive drive. Which means that even as one of those attributes falters a bit, he can more than compensate, especially when egged on by a petulant upstart kid like Dillon Brooks.
Believe it or not, LeBron James is aging, and he’s not as good as he used to be. Which is also why, as many have pointed out, the NBA might actually benefit from other stars taking center stage, so we don’t end up with the vacuum of star talent like when Jordan stepped away. That is actually a good analogy to what’s happening in democratic politics, and why it is time to start looking at younger presidential talent – whether or not 80 is too old. But I digress.
Like it or not, this Grizzlies loss is as much on Dillon Brooks as it is any timelessness of LeBron James. As I’ve learned from hiking in the woods around here, you should always give bears some space. .
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him on twitter at @KeithStrudler
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