James's Brilliance, Considered on its own Merits June 8, 2012, 2:45 pm The most instinctive response to the play of LeBron James is a wide-eyed stare. The relentless loathing directed toward him may provide a constant white noise, but when LeBron is LeBron, all else is mute; there's no delight or celebration, but an awe that what we've witnessed should not be possible. James is often portrayed as both a hyper-flawed mortal and a peerless physical specimen, but at his most astounding, James is merely a transcendent basketball form. He doesn't steal our attentions with some uncharacteristic seriousness. He captures us in his raw gravity. That gravity was palpable on Thursday night, as James turned what could have been the last game of his season into one of the most remarkable showings of his career. There are still miles to go before what James has done could be considered triumphant, but his 45 points (on preposterous 19-of-26 shooting), 15 rebounds, and five assists in the Heat's Game 6 elimination-escaping victory over the Boston Celtics do provide him with a lesser victory, even if only one built on relief. Attempting to know what goes on between James's temples is a fool's errand, and the fact that the temples once erected in his name have been burned to the ground based on those assumptions is even more foolish yet. But James" resolve was palpable on this particular night, and though that may only lead some to wonder why such a fantastic performance is accentuated by James" less impressive showings, it's important that we let such greatness stand, even in the face of what it's not and what's next. This performance does not shift the James narrative. It does not redefine him as a player or person, and doesn't even represent a new height in potency or impact. This is another outstanding performance in a career of outstanding performances, and to those who choose to see a surrender in the 2010 playoffs and an inexplicable absence from the 2011 N.B.A. finals as James" defining marks to date, even a dominant performance like this one will do little to change their minds. Yet this particular performance clearly matters, and resonates. The importance of it extends beyond the world of the talking heads, even if we can't fully contextualize it just yet; there's an absurd level of nonsense wrapped up in all of this, to the point where all of those points and rebounds and assists ultimately mean only what we allow them to. But if we afford ourselves the chance to divorce a brilliant performance from all of its trimmings, we're left with the lingering power of that blank stare. Shake your head. Laugh. See the N.B.A's best player in whatever light you choose. James may never regain the world's respect, but night after night he shows himself to be more than deserving of its collective awe.