2012 Olympics: LeBron James Still a Man Possessed as Team USA Downs Brazil

LeBron James hasn't lost his playoff edge.

He put Team USA on his back against Brazil on Monday night, scoring 30 points in front of a packed house at the Verizon Center that included President Barack Obama as one of the spectators. The final score was 80-69.

Brazil gave Team USA all they could handle. Their big men were better suited to make things difficult than the ones the US faced against the Dominican Republic.

Nene did a fabulous job of minimizing Tyson Chandler's impact on both ends of the court all night long. Anderson Varejao, Ronny Turiaf and Tiago Splitter all played well and made it difficult for Team USA to get into the paint.

As a result, the game got off to a bad start for Team USA. They looked sloppy for much of the first half, and at the end of the first quarter, Brazil had a 27-17 lead. 

Then, James just took the game over. 

Kevin Durant scored 11 points and Chris Paul chipped in with 10, but there wasn't any consistent offense to be found anywhere else but through the stellar showing of King James. When all others failed, James took a stand, and it's clear at this point that James is the leader of this team. 

It was reminiscent of the way he played during the Miami Heat's playoff run. He simply would not be denied. 

It was obvious watching this game that the Americans will have a tough time against some of the upper-echelon teams like France, Argentina and Spain—those teams with a solid corps of big men who can overwhelm Team USA's underwhelming presence down low. 

James will need to continue his strong play and leadership if this team is to have a chance at winning another gold medal.

He is the best player Team USA has to offer. Not only can he dominate off the dribble from outside, but he's capable of posting up his defenders, much like what we used to see from Magic Johnson way back in the day. 

James is also the best defender on the team and the best passer. And now he's turned into a legitimate leader who has the competitive fire akin to that of Michael Jordan.

James is going to have to continue playing like a man possessed for Team USA to bring home gold, but from the look in his eyes on Monday against Brazil, that's not going to be a problem.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all your Team USA and Olympics news, reaction and analysis. Thanks for reading, and have a good day.

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