"LeBron is the best player in the world. It's a challenge I'm willing to take. And I'll see him at Phillips Arena."DeMarre Carroll after the Hawks eliminated the Wizards in the conference semifinals
When the time has arrived for those who are ready, they say the pride will follow. DeMarre Carroll did not ask to see LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers earn the right to the Eastern Conference throne, but he had to know (maybe hope) this day would come. And with the mini-legacy he's built over the last few weeks, it's easy to figure Carroll will probably relish this moment of arrival as much as LeBron said he would.
The matchup could be the next extension of the on-court rivalries LeBron James has maintained. Paul Pierce, early on. Kawhi Leonard, last year. Jimmy Butler, last series. Now Carroll, based on his important role over the course of his Atlanta Hawks' ride through these playoffs, has put himself in the conversation as the next man up.
"DeMarre all year has taken the challenge of guarding the opponent's best wing, best perimeter player," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer after Tuesday's practice.
"He has a high, high belief in his ability to guard, and I think he knows his teammates are there to help him. He just loves the challenge, he's a great competitor and that's why he's been so important to us."
Carroll's numbers have gone up across the board this postseason: From 12.6 PPG in the regular season to 17.1 PPG in the playoffs. From 5.3 RPG to 6.8. From 48.7 percent shooting from the field to 52.4 percent. From 39.5 percent 3-point shooting to almost 44 percent. And then there's this crazy stat: His free throw shooting percentage is up from 70.2 to 81.1. Whose free throw percentage goes up 11 points in the playoffs? That stat alone may show how "locked-in" he is right now.
His ascension is of importance. He is no longer an afterthought of the collective that was chosen to rep the Hawks in this year's All-Star Game. He's major now.
"As a teammate, it's good to have him out there. His energy come unmatched some games," said Hawks shooting guard Kent Bazemore.
"I think you can get other guys in the league that you can put out there with him to match his energy, you look at Tony Allen, you look at Draymond Green, guys that can really get up and down with him. He calls himself the "Junkyard Dawg" for good reason."
Carroll's run of six 20-plus point games in a row split between the two series -- and his 25 points and 10 rebounds in the Hawks' close-out game vs. the Wizards -- has thrust him into becoming the player Atlanta depends on the most on offense moving forward. Because of that dependency, the Hawks also need him to maintain his excellence on defense when guarding LeBron. Meaning, Carroll's offense is going to be what the Hawks will rely on to make James put in work on the other end. It's Carroll's offense that is going to be used to make James exert as much energy as possible so that the defensive schemes the team has in place to contain James will have some effect.
Since the playoffs began, Carroll has become the Hawks' unsung hero. And now he has the responsibility of being the LBJ stopper -- a term I'm sure he hates, but one, with the way Carroll is playing, that doesn't seem as absurd as it would have when the playoffs began. Daunting, but accepting.
The saying, via his uncle to him: "If we worry about what we have to do, they ain't gonna be able to do what they want to do."
A life lesson that had nothing to do with basketball to DeMarre Carroll now can be put on everything he has to do over the course of this series.