LeBron James put together yet another terrific performance at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. James fell one rebound short of a triple-double as he went for 23 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists to lead the Cavs to a come-from-behind win over the New York Knicks.
However, King James easily could’ve had his triple-double had one rebound not been credited to Jeff Green instead.
Ardent Cavs and LeBron James fans might remember something very similar happening to LeBron in another game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden nearly a decade ago.
As Brian Windhorst, who was then working for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, reported back in 2009, James was also taken away a potential triple-double-clinching rebound, which was significant since it would’ve been the first 50-point triple-double in the NBA since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975.
There isn’t nearly as much at stake in a historical sense this time around, so LeBron James likely won’t sweat losing another well-earned triple-double. James should be more than satisfied with getting the come-from-behind win and getting the Cavs back up to .500 after a difficult start to the season.
Still, it’s pretty amazing to think how James can twice be docked a triple-double in the same building for the same, somewhat dubious, rebounding credit change.