The Not So Overrated Play of Lebron James

With the game on the line, and a series in the balance, it wasn’t Lebron James that the Cavs turned to; it was his much less regarded teammate, Delonte West. It didn’t matter that West was the guy who hit the dagger, a trey that broke a 97-97 tie with five seconds left, it was the fact that it was James who did everything to set up the shot. Even though he struggled in the fourth quarter and his team blew a large lead, Lebron still found a way to take his team to the winner’s circle. Once Gilbert Arenas’ buzzer beater from downtown clanked off the rim, Cleveland had escaped with a resounding 100-97 win on the road. Already in good shape having protected home court in the first two games, Cleveland is sitting pretty now at 3-1 in the first round of the best-of-7. For all the trash talking and antics that’s been going on, James has said nothing with his mouth, but everything with this play.

Once again, the Wizards were dealt a large dose of King James, despite trying their best to intimidate him with hard fouls and verbal jabs all day long. James wasn’t affected by the futile attempts as his 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists suggest. For the series, he’s averaging 29.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, numbers that have turned into just another day at the office. James considers himself to be on a higher plane than DeShawn Stevenson, the man who called Lebron overrated in a postgame interview last month, and has been the Jay-Z to Stevenson’s Soulja Boy throughout this matchup. None of Washington’s tactics have worked to denigrate the superstar, they’ve only made him more ruthless. Already in this series, James has tolerated two flagrant fouls by Brendan Haywood in Game 2 and Stevenson on Sunday. Both times, Lebron responded unfazed, and willed his team past the Wizards.

James carried his team to a 15-point lead in the second half with a combination of long jumpers and high-flying plays at the rim, but watched as the fiery Wizards fought back in the fourth quarter. Washington held the NBA’s leading scorer without a field goal for the final 12 minutes, but he still found a way to make a lasting mark at the end of a tie game. On Cleveland’s final possession, the entire building was sure that Lebron would keep the ball in his hands for the potential game-winner. With the Wizards so keyed on Lebron, the 23-year old didn’t try forcing it against multiple defenders. Instead, he waited for a teammate to get open, and delivered a picture perfect pass, a la Jordan to Kerr in the 1998 NBA Finals. West, who finished with a career playoff-high with 21 points, was the beneficiary and nailed a wide open shot from behind the arc, his fifth 3-pointer of the game.

Washington now must win two of the final three games of this series on the road, where they went 18-23 in the regular season, and lost by 37 points in the first two games of this series. With each passing day, Washington continues to add gasoline to the roaring fire that this series has become. They’ve all but burnt themselves to elimination with it. All the extracurricular activities have motivated Lebron to take it upon himself to torture the Wizards at every opportunity. He’s already one of the best players in the world when he doesn’t have to respond to Washington’s BS, but now its just unfair.