The next generation is not afraid of LeBron James

LeBron James has enjoyed a decade-long vice grip on the Eastern Conference., but this new generation of players do not fear the King.

There was a moment of the torch passing from one generation to the next Sunday.

It wasn’t in LeBron James’ disappointing 15-point performance against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. It was happening on a golf course in North Florida at the PLAYERS Championship.

There, Tiger Woods had charged up the leaderboard on Saturday, shooting his best round since back injuries knocked him out for most of the past two years. He was paired with one of the players many believe will take Woods’ mantle in Jordan Spieth in the final day. But the man he was chasing was another young major winner in Webb Simpson.

And at one point on the back nine, Woods was sitting in second place. Yes, five strokes back — Simpson entered the day with an almost insurmountable eight-stroke lead. But there was Woods’ name where it usually was, in contention in the final round.

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That was typically enough to make any leader sweat. Woods has put together some incredible comebacks before with whispers of his runs reverberating around golf courses, giving leaders the yips and clearing the path forward.

Woods would not have his day as Simpson stuck to his gameplan and won the tour’s “fifth major” easily. Simpson stared down this challenge from Woods and did not blink.

A new generation of young players, many of whom probably picked up their clubs inspired by Woods’ magnificent run in the early 2000s, have waited for their chance to unseat Woods. And Woods has proven his mortality ever since a 2009 PGA Championship defeat to unknown Y.E. Yang and the back injuries and sex scandals which followed.

LeBron James is not likely to experience such a catastrophic and sudden fall. He’s staring down a 2-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals but the odds on him making this series competitive are stout. But, win or lose, at some point too, father time will force him from the throne, and there are young players looking to fill the void.

James’ vice-like grip on the Eastern Conference — seven straight Eastern Conference championships and Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 11 of the last 12 years — at some point will slip. This Celtics’ dominance in Game 1 on Sunday certainly seemed like that moment. Their Game 2 win seemed to cement it.

James, playing a bit passively, looked supremely mortal Sunday. Not only did he look beatable, but he was facing a group of young Celtics who appear completely unafraid to take him down. He blew up in the first quarter of Game 2 but couldn’t sustain it all the way through.

Boston’s defensive switching schemes threw multiple bodies at James as faced off against Marcus Morris, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum throughout Game 1. Other than Morris, the others were born in 1994 or later, and were just nine years old when James entered the NBA.

The cute story of Tatum asking James for a follow on Twitter when he was 14-years-old made the rounds throughout the broadcast. These are players who did not grow up competing against James, this is the generation who grew up emulating and following James.

This is the generation that is unafraid to challenge the King for his throne. They know they are the ones who will eventually take him down. And with their first real chance to square up and take down the King, they are already proving their fearlessness.

This is a tale as old as time. The next generation takes down the previous generation. Bob Pettit dethroned George Mikan and his Minneapolis Lakers. Bill Russell dethroned Bob Pettit and his St. Louis Hawks. Michael Jordan had to take down Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons.

This is the natural progression of things. It is rare for stars to retire on top. And it is rarer still to see them still be the best players in the league when they finally walk away. Eventually, the younger generation unseats them and forcibly removes them from their once high perch.

Contemporaries do everything they can but they understand the pecking order. The Toronto Raptors won 59 games behind Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, but it was clear how tight they got in their four-game sweep this year in the second round.

The difference to the Celtics at least through one game is stark. They were unafraid of the moment or the opponent. There were no scars from past failures, but there was also no fear of James. Every one of their defenders has gone at James completely as if he was just another guy. Tatum especially has seemed to relish the spotlight and the attention that comes with guarding James. Boston has been a team completely unafraid.

There are a lot of growing young stars coming up in this league who grew up not facing James, but watching him. LeBron James undoubtedly influenced their games — in the same way Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan likely influenced James.

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Slowly but surely players like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Victor Oladipo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and their peers are going to supplant the King and overturn his once strong regime. It will become their league. And they are not going to let James stand in their way.

James is still paving the road for his incredible run. He has dominated the league and established himself as one of the very best of all time, and while James may not be ready to let go of the throne, the new-age is coming.

The Cavaliers could still win this series, but quite clearly, there is a new crop of players who see their time coming. And they are not afraid to go through James to get there.