Alexander: LeBron James could score 63 Saturday, but he probably won’t
Good Saturday #GoodSaturday
The world according to Jim:
• I think we can assume this much: If the late Kobe Bryant were approaching the all-time points record and needed 63 to get it, the odds would have been very good that he would have tried to get it all in one night.
Think back to his final game in 2016, that 60-point night against Utah when he went 22 for 50 from the field and 6 for 21 from 3-point range, with his teammates not only willing but anxious to feed him the ball. The circumstances were different, true, since his Lakers team had been well out of contention for some time and there was absolutely nothing else to play for other than to send Kobe out with the ultimate mic drop. …
• But while LeBron James slyly suggested after Thursday night’s win in Indianapolis that yes, he had a 63-point game in him, don’t expect him or his teammates to abandon the plan Saturday night in New Orleans.
First, the Lakers still have a playoff shot, as rocky as their season has been. And second, I think everybody in the organization would prefer that he break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record at home, either Tuesday night against Oklahoma City or Thursday night against Milwaukee, Kareem’s other former team. Since TNT has already changed its schedule to show both of those games, network officials would probably rather not see 63 in New Orleans, either. …
• Given those conditions, the load management that had LeBron in street clothes on Monday night in Brooklyn was a brilliant move. But should the Lakers miss the play-in round by a game, we’ll all be re-evaluating that strategy. …
• If you were wondering: LeBron’s career high is 61, achieved against Charlotte in March of 2014 as a member of the Miami Heat, when he was 29. In 1,408 NBA regular-season games, he has had 73 games of 40 or more points (28 more in the playoffs) and 14 games with 50 or more (and one more in the 2018 NBA Finals). And four of those 40-plus games have come in the last 34 days. …
• Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving has asked the Nets to trade him, which somehow sounds familiar. And, well, it’s a good thing Magic Johnson no longer has an official role with the Lakers, because shortly after the news came down he tweeted: “Personally, I’d love to see Kyrie in the purple and gold.”
So have Lakers officials reversed themselves? Remember, they appeared to back away from a potential deal after Irving promoted an antisemitic film on social media in October, an incident that got him suspended by the Brooklyn Nets for eight games and caused Nike to cut ties with him. …
• More to the point, Laker fans, are you willing to overlook Irving’s off-court baggage? And if you aren’t and you let it be known, will that make a difference in the way Rob Pelinka and his front office proceed? …
• Having dodgeball, a dunk tank and a long drive contest as part of the new Pro Bowl format puts the endeavor in its proper perspective. Didn’t watch before, won’t watch now. …
• Today’s inbox filler: An email this week – by something called casinobonus.ca – purported to reveal the most popular NHL player in California. And no, it’s not Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry or whoever is playing for the San Jose Sharks these days. The No. 1, based on Google Search data? Jack Johnson, who is currently a Chicago Blackhawks defenseman and hasn’t played for the Kings since February of 2012. …
• Maybe the methodology got hockey’s Jack Johnson confused with the musician and/or the boxer of the early 1900s who was the first Black world champion (and I’m afraid I just added two more Google searches to the total). The other possibility is that the hockey Jack Johnson really is still popular here – precisely because he was traded for Jeff Carter, who helped the Kings win two Stanley Cups. …
• When is the last time a CIF Southern Section program was hammered with sanctions the way Riverside Poly boys basketball was this week? Poly, which finished this season 17-11, was declared ineligible for this year’s playoffs and had to forfeit four seasons’ worth of victories dating to the 2018-19 season. No one’s elaborating yet, but you can be sure the details will ultimately come out. …
• I am more OK than I thought I’d be with baseball’s new scheduling format, which reduces in-division games and has everyone playing every team in the other league at least one series. It will mean more interesting matchups over the course of the season and will make those division rivalries more meaningful.
With one exception: Natural geographic rivals – Dodgers/Angels, Yankees/Mets, Cubs/White Sox, Giants/A’s – will only play four times a season, two home and two road. They should be playing two three-game series – or, if the new schedule format is that inflexible, one four-game weekend with two at one site and two at the other. …
• For the record, the Dodgers and Angels play June 20-21 in Anaheim and July 7-8 in L.A. It would be loads of fun (except maybe for the clubhouse guys) to have a four-game weekend series alternating days – Thursday and Saturday in Anaheim, say, and Friday and Sunday in The Ravine. Or vice versa. …
• There is precedent. Way back in the day, before the major leagues came west, PCL rivals Oakland and San Francisco would play split-site doubleheaders: A morning game on one side of the bay, an afternoon game on the other. Those between-games treks across the Bay Bridge must have been fun. …
• Bracketology update: If the men’s college basketball season were to end today, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, UCLA would be a No. 2 seed in the Midwest (Kansas City) and would open in Sacramento against Siena. USC would be a No. 10 in the South (Louisville) and would open against Missouri in Denver.
Meanwhile, the Big West Conference winner (currently listed as first-place UC Santa Barbara) would be a 13th seed in the Midwest and would play Baylor in Orlando. Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s occupy the two West Coast Conference spots right now, while Utah Valley, 18-6 and coached by former Laker Mark Madsen, represents the WAC on the speculative bracket. …
• But it’s a good thing there are still six Sundays to go before the real bracket is unveiled. By all appearances, UCLA in particular can use the extra time to shore some things up.
jalexander@scng.com