LeBron James remembers everything. On any random night, James might regale reporters with the play-by-play from a tense situation in that game; or a wrinkle an opponent developed on an arbitrary November night and stashed away only to have LeBron sniff it out and disrupt it during a key possession.

The rest of us? Not so much.

How else would you explain the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum throwing down a dunk on Lebron James almost halfway through the fourth quarter in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and having the audacity to flex on him?

LeBron didn’t react to the moment. He simply made a mental note, filing it away with all the other examples of young players coming for his crown.

It was, after all, only two years ago that the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson, confident with a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, said this:

“Obviously people have feelings. People’s feelings get hurt if they’re called a bad word. I guess his feelings just got hurt.”

LeBron simply laughed, opting to “take the high road,” in the moment, as he had for the 13 years prior. Few have endured the slings and arrows of outrageous sports talk as much as James. Almost no one has gotten away with it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers would rally from that 3-1 deficit to win its first NBA championship. Over the last three games of the series, James averaged 36.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists while shooting 50.6 percent, including 42.1 percent from deep.

Two years isn’t a long time. Though, to be fair to Tatum, the move from high school to college to the NBA in that short span can feel like an eternity.

LeBron James has two advantages in any prolonged series. First and foremost, he is the league’s greatest problem solver. James possesses the greatest pattern recognition in NBA history. Give him long enough, and he’ll memorize every defensive rotation a team deploys right down to the situations they use it in. Every tactic only works for a limited time before he figures it out and become impervious to it—like Boston’s scram switches:

In 2016, the Warriors had the better team. But Draymond Green’s suspension bought James enough time to figure them out and dissect them.

His second advantage is, simply put, he’s a tank. No one is more durable than LeBron. Game 7’s are often remembered but are rarely beautiful. Shots fall short, passes become less precise. In a war of attrition, James’ physicality and mental acuteness outlast most.

By Game 7, James had everything he needed to defeat the Celtics in Boston for the first time this postseason.

In Game 2, Terry Rozier corralled a loose ball and pushed the ball in the open court for a dunk with LeBron James trailing. By Game 4 of the series, after the Cavaliers tied it with two consecutive home wins, the moment had been rendered innocuous to everyone except James, who noted every step, Rozier’s launching point, and the apex of his jump.

And much like Iron Man’s armor in Marvel’s Civil War recorded every punch Captain America ever threw to predict and react to Steve Roger’s next punch before he could throw it, James’ recalls the timing and tendencies of every opponent to use against them later.

https://twitter.com/YungMustard_/status/1000937646649237504

Late in the third quarter, Rozier stole a pass with a seemingly clear lane and an opportunity to shift the momentum in the Celtics’ favor. But from the moment he eyed the rim, his fate was sealed.

You could see LeBron James lurking, slowing his approach to match Rozier’s like a predator stalking his prey; timing Rozier’s leap perfectly and meeting his dunk attempt at the height of his jump.

Afterward, James stood on the baseline staring down Rozier as play moved to the other, his expression a mix of, “I’m getting too old for this,” and “I can’t believe he tried that.”

Credit the Celtics’ young guys. They weren’t afraid of LeBron James and attacked all series. Late in the first quarter, Jaylen Brown broke free on a bad defensive play from James, knocking down the open 3-pointer. Brown added a little extra, holding his follow through and marching towards LeBron to catch his attention.

Lament their prodding of LeBron, who always has a response.

Tatum’s dunk with 6:40 remaining brought the Celtics within two (71-69), igniting Boston’s crowd and also earning him James’ attention.

The Cavaliers would go on to outscore the Celtics 16-6 the rest of the way with LeBron James scoring six points and assisting on a Tristan Thompson dunk:

And this outlet pass to George Hill:

LeBron responded to Tatum’s moment by dragging the rookie across the high road, targeting him to draw his fourth and fifth foul less than a minute apart, using his larger frame to get position and leveraging the rookie’s inexperience to draw the reach.

Afterward, the two embraced, with James undoubtedly sharing words of encouragement and wisdom.

“With Jayson, I just love everything about the kid. The way he plays the game, his demeanor. Where he comes from,” James said. “I know his parents and I just know he’s built for stardom. He’s built for success both on and off the floor.”

Boston’s homecourt advantage wasn’t enough to overcome the moment. The Celtics shot just 7-for-39 (17.9 percent) from three-point range, and just 34.1 percent overall. Only Tatum (24 points, seven rebounds) and Al Horford (17 points, four rebounds, three assists) shot over 40 percent.

LeBron James entered the game with seven other Game 7’s on his resume, averaging 34.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game; including a 45-point performance in the first round against the Indiana Pacers this season. He can draw from experience how to pace himself while playing 48 minutes to have enough for that closing kick.

He finished this one with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists with two blocks.

Heading into his eighth consecutive Finals appearance, James’ career is a vast encyclopedia of NBA history, all available at his beck and call. He remembers every detail to gift us with many memories of our own.

Whether it’s at a concert with your college girlfriend when he made The Decision or at a bar with friends during the schadenfreude of his loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Being consoled by your girlfriend when he leads a comeback to beat the San Antonio Spurs in seven games, then celebrating with her a year later when Tim Duncan and company respond in kind and your championship book gets published.

At a Mama Margie’s in San Antonio watching him carry an undermanned Cavaliers against the Warriors with friends after a day of pickup basketball while drinking margaritas and eating fajita tacos; then in Denver with a hundred other people, drinking a Blue Moon while cheering his chase down block of Andre Iguodala to win Cleveland a championship.

Almost an entire decade has passed in the NBA’s LeBron James era, and the league and our lives have shifted constantly around it while his presence in the Finals remains the lone constant.

LeBron James remembers everything. And with one unforgettable performance after another, we’ll always remember him.