The GOAT.....

Sometimes you watch an athlete perform, but you can't believe what you see. It's come to the point with Lebron James that not only do you believe it, you come to expect it. He is The GOAT. The Greatest Of All Time.

Last night was another playoff game against the Toronto Raptors. The Cavaliers had a lead, but in the 4th quarter, Toronto came back to tie. Eight seconds left. The Cavs had to go 94 feet and make a bucket to win the game. Everybody in Quicken Loans Arena knew what was going to happen. Everyone in the worldwide television audience knew what would happen. Lebron would get the ball and take the last second shot. That's exactly what happened. Lebron drove the floor, went to his left, and put up about a 12 foot floater off the glass for the win. Buzzer. Game over. Cavs win.

He did it again!

He does that all the time. Regularly. You just come to expect it. How hard is it to make a buzzer beating shot? How hard is it to do when your opponent knows what's going to happen? Clearly, Lebron James is a different breed of cat.

He excels in moments that the pressure is on and his teammates count on him. Not every player can handle that type of pressure. Earlier in the series, Toronto had a similar game winning opportunity. One of their star players was driving to the basket. (No names, please.) He was picked up, but still could have gotten a contested shot off. Instead, he kicked the ball out to a lesser player who took a long shot, and missed. I don't think that player wanted that shot. Some people would say he didn't want the pressure of that shot.

High school junior Lebron James.

While some players wilt in pressure, Lebron thrives on it. Visualization may have something to do with it. Lebron often says when he was playing as a kid, he would visualize the clock winding down. Three,,,two,,,one, he shoots, he scores! The other part of it may just be training. Teammates say Lebron practices shots - every kind of shot. Over and over again in practice. If he can make it in practice, he has the confidence he can make it in a game.

To be called the Greatest Of All Time is very hard. It is difficult to compare players of different eras. I've seen Michael Jordan's career. He has more Championships than Lebron, and is the player he is most often compared to. Michael was a stone cold killer. He could smell victory. But he also played much of his career with another Hall of Famer in Scottie Pippen. Larry Bird was a coach on the floor like Lebron. But didn't affect the game close to what Lebron does.

I think the Hall of Famer that reminds me most of Lebron's style is Magic Johnson. Magic could play any position, like Lebron. He could also make his teammates better, like Lebron. But Lebron is a far greater athlete, and with better skills than Magic ever did. So for me, Lebron is the GOAT.

Nobody knows where this story will go. He has played 15 seasons with no end in sight. Maybe he doesn't have quite the hops he did as a kid. But he's a much better player now. There is always a debate when the NBA MVP award is given out. A few players may statistically have a better season than Lebron. But most everybody, - players, coaches, and fans know who the best player in the NBA is.

Training off the court leads to success on it.