By Josh Whittemore, PSO Sports Operations Executive
Feb 05, 2021

 

The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 2/4 here

All five NBA games Thursday night finished with more than double-digit margins of victory. However, that didn’t stop history from being made as LeBron James continues to make his way up all-time career leaderboards. Also, Tom Brady will be facing his toughest competition yet in the Super Bowl when he will go head-to-head with Patrick Mahomes and the electrifying Chiefs offense as he prepares to take down a reigning champion in the final game for the third time in his career. 

Here is the best of the day from February 4, 2021:

LeBron James passed Wilt Chamberlain for 3rd most career FGM

LeBron James continues to reach heights never seen before in year 18 of his career in the midst of yet another MVP-caliber season. Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets, LeBron passed NBA and Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain for third most career FGM with 12,691, behind only Karl Malone and the all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James also sits third all-time in points (34,819) behind those two NBA greats as well and fifth in points per game at 27.03 for his career. Despite his scoring prowess, LeBron’s biggest strength remains his distributing.

James’s uncanny passing ability was on full display against the Nuggets with 10 more assists on a number of highlight-reel passes. He is eighth on the career leaderboard in assists (9,522) and is the only player to be in the top eight all-time in scoring and assisting. James also recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds against Denver for his second triple-double of the season and 96th of his career, putting him fifth all-time and second among active players behind only Russell Westbrook. The NBA has never seen a player like LeBron James be this good at so many things for this long, and may not ever again.

Related: Stories of the Day

Kansas City Chiefs are the best opponent Tom Brady has faced out of all 10 of his Super Bowls

COLORS KEY | FULL CHIEFS FUTURE OUTLOOK
 

Tom Brady has faced some extremely tough opponents in his previous nine Super Bowl appearances. Think “The Greatest Show on Turf” St. Louis Rams led by a trio of HOFers QB Kurt Warner, RB Marshall Faulk, and WR Isaac Bruce. Not to mention, they had another All-Pro WR and borderline HOFer in Torry Holt. Their offense was unstoppable but with the help of his defense, Brady defeated them in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history in 2001.

Fast forward to 2014, Brady was looking to get back on top for the first time since 2004. His opponents were the Seattle Seahawks, a potential budding dynasty looking to win back-to-back championships (sound familiar?). They were led by “The Legion of Boom,” one of the greatest modern defenses ever assembled, featuring the likes of CB Richard Sherman, FS Earl Thomas, SS Kam Chancellor, and LB Bobby Wagner. However, Brady carved them up in the fourth quarter and with the help of the most important defensive play in modern NFL history, earned his fourth ring via a goal-line interception with seconds remaining.

As good as those teams were, neither of them presents the type of challenge that the Chiefs do. Kansas City is the third team looking to defend their title against a Brady-led squad in the big game but this KC group is even more dangerous offensively than the 2001 Rams. As good as Warner was, he’s no Patrick Mahomes. Nobody has had a better start to their career as Mahomes, who leads essentially every passing category since taking over as the starter. He holds NFL records for PASS YDS (16,206), TDs (131), RTG (108.8), and QB wins (44) through his first 53 games (incl. playoffs), while winning an MVP and a Super Bowl already.

The talent around him is exceptional as well. Travis Kelce, who finished 2020 with a NFL TE record 1,416 yards, has recorded five straight 1,000 yard seasons (also a TE record). He’s also throwing to one of the most dangerous WRs ever in Tyreek Hill, who’s pure speed is unmatched. Hill shredded the Bucs in Week 12 for 13 REC, 269 YDS (career-high), and 3 TDs. Those two form the most prolific WR-TE combo the NFL has seen. The KC defense, which plays excellent complimentary football, finished 10th in points allowed. They combine with a historic offense as the toughest opponent the GOAT has faced in the Super Bowl.

Related: NFL Takeaways of the Day

LeBron James had himself a game

Related: NBA Highlights | Los Angeles Lakers Highlights

SF LeBron James, LAL (W v.DEN): 27 PTS (12-19 FG | 2-5 3P), 10 AST, 10 REB, 1 BLK, 0 STL, 2 TO

Related: Players of the Day

Houston Rockets (115) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (103)

 [HighlightsROCKETS (+143; $9.14) d. @GRIZZLIES (-143; $12.38) 115-103 [HOU +3.5 | u225]

Related: Games of the Day

No WR performed better on the biggest stage than Jerry Rice

  • Ranks 1st all-time in Super Bowl: REC (33), REC YDS (589), REC TD (8), Scrim TD (8)

 

Related: Facts of the Day 

NBA Game Reviews: February 4, 2021 by Rob Mason

Thursday’s NBA action saw mostly blowouts, but history was still made by LeBron

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