One of the secrets to LeBron James’ neverending run at the top has been his knack of pacing himself. The 39-year-old often chooses moments to kick his game into a higher gear rather than exerting himself through four quarters.
The strategy has mostly worked, but his last five playoff outings against the Nuggets — the four in last year’s Western Conference Finals and Game 1 of this year’s first round — have told a different story.
James attempted only one shot in the final period of Saturday’s game as his Lakers got out-scored 35-25 in the fourth quarter. In a more worrying sign, he had only two rebounds and an assist, and couldn’t find other ways to contribute to his team’s success.
Similarly, James had a horrid time in all four fourth quarters against Denver last year, averaging 5.8 points while shooting 30.4 percent from the field and 10 percent from the three-point range.
Are James’ fourth-quarter woes a case of him running out of gas?
That is the diagnosis of Paul Pierce, a player who endured many playoff battles with James.
“When I look at those plays [in the fourth quarter], he looked tired to me,” Pierce said on FS1’s “Undisputed” on Monday. “He didn’t go for a rebound and stood in the corner while D’Lo had the ball. Wouldn’t LeBron be handling the ball in those moments? He’s tired.”
Pierce urged Lakers coach Darvin Ham to stagger James’ minutes to ensure he remains fresh down the stretch of games
“You want LeBron to be strong for the final seven minutes of the game. On Saturday, I saw a guy who wasn’t running a break, wasn’t going for offensive rebounds, was turning the ball over and not even taking shots.”
Pierce may be onto something here. James scored 19 of his 27 points in the first half on Saturday, just days after he scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half against the Pelicans in the play-in game.