James sat out the first 4:49 of the fourth quarter, a stretch in which a 74-64 lead was upped to 85-69….James, who led the NBA with 42.4 minutes a game last season, is averaging 36.8 through four games – 37th in the league. As a rookie two years ago, James averaged 39.4 – 10th in the NBA. Trimming some minutes has not affected James’ scoring. He’s averaging a career-high 28.5 points a game, the NBA’s sixth best.
So he sits, the team increases its lead. He plays less minutes, he scores more points. Yeah…Wade’s the better player. Sure.
