LAS VEGAS — LeBron James sat at the podium, barely damp after speeding through a postgame champagne celebration after winning MVP of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament on Saturday. He placed the trophy on his left. Sitting to his right was the person who made the hardware possible and someone who, quite frankly, outplayed him in Saturday’s 123-109 championship win over the Indiana Pacers.
Despite 41 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks from Anthony Davis — forcing Indiana’s Myles Turner to foul out while defending the Los Angeles Lakers big man’s relentless attacks to the paint — James and Davis had no problem with the pecking order.
“I know who I am, he knows who he is,” James told ESPN when asked about his partnership with Davis that’s in its fifth season — longer than he teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami or with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland. “So, there’s no friction. We’re not trying to compete with one another on the court or on a lifestyle basis. He knows who he is, I know who I am.
“The only thing we’re trying to do is hold each other accountable when we get to work and try to be the best we can be for each other, and when one is not going well, try to pick each other up. There’s no jealousy. There’s not a jealous bone in our bodies. We’re never jealous of one another. Ever.”
While James continues to push the limits of a player’s capabilities in his 21st season — putting up 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in the clincher — it hasn’t come at the expense of Davis’ development.
If anything, James has done his best to prop Davis up, calling the 30-year old the “face of the franchise” to ESPN at the outset of training camp and continuing to put the 12-year veteran in positions to succeed.
Davis said that carried over to Las Vegas, where James and the Lakers fed Davis early and often — he went 6-for-10 in the first quarter, only the second time this season when he attempted 10 or more shots in a quarter — and kept going to him all night.
“He’ll say things like, ‘Let’s get AD going.’ Or, ‘Run this for AD,'” Davis said. “He’s doing a good job of making sure that I get my touches to have an opportunity to take over ballgames like tonight. So,…
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