Nothing distracts LeBron; not Phil Jackson, not the Knicks, not even the president-elect

NEW YORK – LeBron James was going to go for 50. Maybe 60. Maybe more.

It was inevitable, right? It was the Knicks, a national television audience and a building in which he averaged nearly 30 points per game. And there was Phil Jackson, the Knicks president who yapped about James last month, who enraged his inner circle when he referred to James’ business partners as his “posse.” And there was Donald Trump, the namesake of the flashy SoHo hotel in which James refused to stay because, well, he didn’t support a president-elect who ran such a racially charged campaign.

Here, James was big news. Most sided with James in his dispute with Jackson, if only because it never made any sense for Jackson to critique anyone except those on the team he is two-plus years into managing into mediocrity. James took more heat for refusing – with the Cavs’ blessing – to stay at Trump SoHo. As if NBA road trips were bonding experiences and James was missing out on campfires and s’mores by checking into another hotel down the road.

Add it all up, and a James explosion was coming. It would be 50 points and 40 shots and highlights that would run in a loop for days. Until it wasn’t. James was brilliant in Cleveland’s 126-94 win over the Knicks, just not how you might expect. It was 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds for James, a complete effort that spearheaded a Cleveland win that was locked down before the end of the third quarter.

And you know what? It shouldn’t have been surprising. Once, James might have been taken out of his game by distraction. His early years in Cleveland were highlighted by frequent trips deep into the postseason and far too frequent bouts with immaturity. That James might have been consumed by Jackson’s comments, might have been bothered by critics who think teammates do more on the road than pass each other in the breakfast line.

This one? Not so much.

Of all of James’ remarkable skills, his ability to isolate himself from outside noise ranks among the most impressive. Few athletes, if any, take as strong a stand on social issues as James, and even fewer are able to keep it from impacting how they play. At the Cavaliers’ morning shootaround ,reporters peppered James with questions about his hotel choice (“Personal decision,” James said) and if he was interested in an audience with Jackson (he wasn’t). He addressed the issues off the floor and left the impact of them behind when he stepped on it.

“He’s very good at compartmentalizing and prioritizing,” said teammate James Jones. “There’s a difference between being conscious and being aware. He’s conscious of the issues but on the court he’s aware of them to the point where he doesn’t allow them to affect him.

“Honestly, I’ve never met a player like him. He’s extremely deep. And I know he takes pride in being that person that people look to for a pulse of what athletes and social figures think. He takes tremendous pride in that and has a tremendous amount of respect for the position that he is in.”

James refuses to allow outside distractions to disrupt him and his team, and inside, there are none. The Cavs are humming along, surging ahead in the Eastern Conference standings. Kyrie Irving is having his best statistical season while Kevin Love is posting All-Star numbers. A full training camp to digest coach Tyronn Lue’s system has boosted the offense, which is up nearly three points per 100 possessions from last season. The team needs a backup point guard and has to shake J.R. Smith out of his early season doldrums, but compared to previous years, these are minor problems to have.

James didn’t entertain Jackson questions on Wednesday; he’s addressed them before and is ready to move on. Jackson has his own issues, not the least of which is a bizarre new beef with Carmelo Anthony, whom Jackson publicly criticized this week. Not his team, not his problem, and James steadfastly refused to be pushed into a deeper conflict with the Knicks’ top exec.

James’ maturation as a player in recent years has been well chronicled, and this trip to New York exemplified the player, the person James has become. He will rebuke Trump without getting bogged down in it, will take his disgust for Jackson’s comments out on the team Jackson puts on the floor. He will never shy away from social issues but will never allow them to affect his team, either.