No trick: James just a treat

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

No trick: James just a treat
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 10/31/2003

SACRAMENTO -- Today is Halloween. LeBron James says it's his favorite holiday.
("I'm a horror guy.") He said he even once went out dressed like a basketball
player, which, if you saw his NBA debut Wednesday night, required no costume
or makeup whatsoever.

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Let the slobbering begin.

James left this city as a loser for the first time in any kind of meaningful
game since the Ohio state championship game at the end of his junior year at
St. Vincent-St. Mary. The Kings spoiled the rookie's opener, winning, 106-92.
James played again last night in Phoenix, the first of many back-to-backers
for the 18-year-old Cavaliers prodigy in a quick introduction to Life in the
NBA.

He won't be back here until next season, but he'll be hard pressed to reprise
what was a truly special NBA debut, especially considering the klieg
light-like atmosphere.

"I tip my hat off to him," said teammate Darius Miles. "He likes to perform in
front of big crowds. He'll get that chance, every night. Once he sees a big
crowd, his eyes light up."

It was a starry, starry night. Terrell Owens, Jeff Garcia, Moses Malone, Dusty
Baker, and a host of bearded behemoths from the Raiders and 49ers were there.
Here's what they and everyone else saw: in 42 minutes, James had 25 points, 9
assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and shot 12 of 20 from the field. He never once
looked like a rookie, never mind out of place, prompting Kings guard Bobby
Jackson to say, "Now I can see what the media was all ecstatic about."

Those knocks on his outside shooting prompted by a less-than-stellar
exhibition season? Nowhere to be seen in Arco Arena. He drained his first
three shots, all baseline jumpers, the last of which was an arcing fallaway
over the outstretched hand of Brad Miller. He did miss two 3-pointers, one of
which was an end-of-quarter heave from well over halfcourt. He still shot 60
percent. (OK, he missed two of three free throws.)

But his signature stretch occured in the first quarter, where he had 3 steals,
2 assists, and 2 points in the space of 36 seconds. The first steal led to a
no-look assist. The second steal led to a thundering, windmill dunk. The third
steal could have been just like the second, except James stopped at the foul
line and shoveled a pass to Ricky Davis, who went in for a reverse slam.

"I thought we got his blood flowing by turning it over three times in a row,
and giving him those dunks, but he's got a lot of talent," said Kings coach
Rick Adelman. "He made some shots early, he gets to the basket, he sees the
floor, he's creative. For a first game, he has me impressed."

There was nary a dissenting view. How could there be? Until Wednesday night,
the best debut by a high school-to-NBA No. 1 pick (since the latest craze
began with Kevin Garnett) was 10 points. James had 12 in the first quarter.

But, even more critical, he had his team in the game almost until the bitter
end. Last year, the Cavaliers opened in Sacramento and got absolutely
hammered. This year, they made it a game. They rallied from a 19-point hole to
take a brief lead in the fourth quarter, yet didn't have enough to hold it
against the deeper, talented, comfortable-at-home Kings. But the comeback is
what really pleased coach Paul Silas because it signaled a resilience and
resourcefulness missing from last season.

In the end, it was a perfect evening for all concerned. Back in the heyday of
Larry Bird, the Celtics would play on the road and the hosts' management would
always hope for two things: a victory by their team and a show by Bird. That's
what happened here. The Kings won, setting off the cowbells. And James,
dressed as an NBA player for the first time, was undeniably a showstopper.

) Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

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