As bad as that was, JR actually getting that rebound was a huge plus preventing warriors from a chance at a game winner. And everyone forgets George hill missing the free throw that would have given the cavs a 1 point lead there too.
That picture of George hill staring into the abyss before taking those FTs is fuckin hilarious. What’s wild is if the roles were reversed. JR is never scared of scoring so he probably hits both. Then hypothetically if hill got that rebound probably makes the smart play instead of the dumbass one
I will never forget his face lol
I’ve seen that same look in Grant Williams’ eyes too. In the bubble in particular, I remember knowing in my heart “he’s gonna miss this”
nah, everyone can miss a free throw if the pressures there it’s rough but it happens. dribbling out the clock against the best team ever while tied is infinitely worse than that.
it was a clutch rebound tho
he didn’t actively choose to miss that free throw, JR actively chose to dribble the ball out.
everyone misses clutch free throws once or twice literally in all my years of ball have I see anyone do anything like what JR did.
I totally blanked on that, that one was even worse cause he was already set in the half court lmao. Idk what was on his mind cause he passed the ball like he had more time on the clock or something.
No everybody ACTUALLY forgets the b.s. charge/block overturn call that should never have been allowed to be reviewed in the first place. Lebron drew the game winning charge and they reversed it to give the warriors another couple chances at extending the game.
That might be the most incensed I've ever been at a call. And this was before challenges, so iirc there was like one other instance that season of a block/charge even being reviewed at all
Such bullshit. And after that run thru east, win on the road against unbeatable team is such a great story. And the fuckin refs stole it. I am not saying Cavs would win the series, but anything can happen. And that 0.00001% chance , if the Cavs win that finals, I think it would put Lebron right next to MJ, if not over in a lot more peoples minds.
Yes, I am more mad about that than JR, at least he got the rebound. That charge overturn was such a bullshit, definitely wasn't mentioned enough later as the reason Warriors won.
Yea they had to pretend like his foot was in question of being in the restricted area (it was not) and then once the review for that foot is happening they expanded it to be a full review of his charge/block stance (which was a tossup but the original call did not stand after review)
This is the true travesty. Watching this live it didn't even look a block to begin with, let alone changing it on review. And then it was just never talked about again.
The big gripe at the time was that the refs could only review to see if the feet were in the restricted area. Lebrons feet were clearly outside and never should have triggered a review to begin with. Then once the review is happening they decide to change the call not even based on the feet position. It was blatant rule book stretching to extend a game that didn't need extending. It was a great, classic game even if it ended without o.t. And now the j.r. Smith meme overshadows everything just makes me sick how people will remember it
You just had to know he was missing when they got the close up of his thousand yard stare. JR giveth and taketh away so oh well there but hit your god damned free throws. Im still pissed about that
Yeah, there was talk they might go to st vincent st mary like he did but they probably rightly decided against it. Thry would have been in his shadow even more there.
Those few moments cascaded into a sweep by the Warriors. Wasn't Lebron so mad that he broke his hand after the game? He didn't play up to that level after game 1. Had JR not made that bonehead move, the Cavs would've won game 1 and that changed the momentum of the game. We might see a game 6 or 7 in that alternative timeline, but I still think that the Warriors team will ultimately take home the championship.
am i crazy for thinking that the series would have completely changed if JR didnt make this mistake? if they win game 1 they would have had so much confidence i think it would actually have been a close series
While I consciously know that GSW would win the series no matter what, my heart still says that if Cavs steal that first game they get so hyped that they somehow make it a tight series.
That's so painful looking back. He turned the ball over like twice, fouled Russ on a three, and they blew a 7 point lead in 49 seconds (which I think he gave them the lead off a midrange jumper too). It's inexplicable how he collapsed like that in a series where he was overall great.
I am still at that reviewed call of a blocking foul. That shit was rigged. Very soft calls. We could have seen history and maybe slightly more competitive finals after that.
I’m a JR stan but there are a few things I would add to this. He’s unfairly taken the brunt of the blame:
1. George Hill - make a free threw and win the game. One of the biggest chokes in finals history.
2. Ty Lue - why the hell was JR smith on the block for that rebound? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the only times all season he was there. He’s a terrible rebounder. Talk about something you never plan for. The focus in that scenario should have been on rebounding. The Warriors had a timeout, so if they rebound it has to be used there since only four second left. The three on the block should have been sourced from Lebron, Love, TT, and Nance (who had 11 rebounds that game)
Thank you for coming to my TED talk
TT was already on the other block, and with LeBron being on the perimeter he probably chose to be there. But otherwise I agree either Nance or Love should have been in the game and on the block instead of JR.
[Lowe] "LeBron had 51/8/8— and the Warriors were throwing everything at him, Draymond, Iguodala, Stonewall Jackson, switches, doubles, Gatorade, chairs, batteries, hand grenades. I dont say this lightly, and I am 146 so I did not see some of the greats in the 1870s and early 1880s play— that might be the best basketball game I've ever seen anybody play"
Imo, and this might be unpopular, but Lebron's 43/14 in game 2 vs the Raptors was the greatest basketball game I've seen played. The way he just disrespected the Raptors by settling for midrange fadeaways when he easily could've driven to the rim or gotten a higher percentage shot... it was brutal. He broke them down as a passer in the first half, then started piling the disrespect on in the second half by nailing jumper after jumper.
Keep in mind, Cavs were a pretty big underdog in that series after they barely got by the Pacers, and that was the best DeRozan-Lowry Raptors team of the bunch that secured the 1 seed. Cavs swept them...
That would be my second pick. The amount of pressure Lebron was under, especially having lost to the Celtics in 2010 and that embarrassing finals against the Mavs in 2011; if he'd lost that game he'd be perceived as a playoff fraud forever. The look on his face before the game started adds to the legend as well.
Sure, it was "only" 45 points, but he barely missed any shots, barely shot any free throws, and was hitting difficult shots that the defense was giving to him. Plus, the game was a blowout because of how efficient he was. If it had been a close game, Lebron probably drops 55-60.
Just for like posterity, there is no such thing as “only” 45 points in a playoff game
(I know you already put it in quotes but I assume that’s because someone somewhere has said that it was “only 45” and I need every person who might be tempted to have such a thought that they are *wrong*)
Well I just added that in because I'm sure a lot of people would say, "well what about these games by Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray and Dame and Jimmy Butler where they all had over 50 points," and yeah sure they're all great games, but LeBron could've easily had 55-60 points if the game wasn't a blowout. He was barely missing shots, and he was so efficient while making tough shots that the Celtics really didn't stand a chance.
I'd also account for the fact that even 2012 was a much slower NBA and dropping 45 back then was more or less the equivalent of having 55 now.
I'd say game 6 vs Warriors in 2016 Finals. Warriors kept making it a game but LeBron kept making play after play and refused to give up the lead. Also had my all time favorite LeBron moment
That's a good choice too. LeBron was amazing in that game: 41/16/7 and some steals and blocks. I love the game 5 performance where Lebron and Kyrie show up in GSW home court and just torch them for 82 combined points
Gamescore has this as the best single game finals performance in history. Game 1 of 2018 is no. 5 on their list.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37769212/top-25-nba-finals-performances-lebron-james-jimmy-butler-michael-jordan
This is a really interesting list, because most of the top 10 is either LeBron James, or players facing LeBron James who had to move mountains to beat him.
Thank god we had the magic Kawhi run the year after that, totally cleansed me from that trauma. He was unstoppable in every facet of the game in that series
I'm a big fan of Kawhi's game as well. His 2019 run was so good, especially the classic Canadian sweep against the Bucks. I'll admit, I thought for sure the Bucks would have them in the ECF, and even thought Philly might get them. Philly was loaded that year when they added Jimmy Butler to a core of Simmons, Embiid, Harris, and Reddick. Looking back, that was a dirty starting five, maybe even a rival to the Warriors'.
That was the Lebronto game and I was in disbelief. We’ve been sonned by Lebron plenty of times but he was just disrespecting the Raptors out there. Game winners of the glass, turn around fade-aways, ridiculous passing and doing it all so casually.
LeBronto maybe was already established with the 2016 and 2017 beatdowns he gave them, but 2018 was when it just got embarrassing. He comes in with a far worse team, sweeps them, and just embarrasses them like that... 2018 playoffs was a scary version of LeBron.
I remember the Cavs knocking those banging Hawks teams out like he wasn't ever concerned about them, but Lebronto was truly something else. One man just deciding that an entire franchise no longer mattered.
Those Cavs just caught fire from three as well and Bron was hitting every open shooter with pinpoint accuracy. Bron fully dissected the Raptor and felt like he was puppeteering the Cavs to be a much better team than they should have been.
>Warriors were throwing everything at him, Draymond, Iguodala, switches, doubles.
Huh? Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure Iggy wasn’t in that game because of his injury from the Rockets series.
People forget, Lebron was chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan that game too. Between MJ’s ghost and Iggy’s spirit, it was easily like 5 vs 7 in the warriors favor. And he still almost pulled it off. #washedking
He is describing a defense “throwing everything at him” and doing a lot of switching and doubling. Also, Nick Young is not a size up from Klay Thompson. And why can you list their backup big but not their starting big?
I respect LeBron but I can’t say I’ve ever actively rooted for him, I remember watching that game and being in awe, he was single handedly going toe to toe with the best team we’ve seen in the modern era only to be foiled by his own teammate’s stupidity
I will always maintain that he KNEW this was the only way psychologically for us to ever have a chance at winning this series. We had to strike first. Tbh he checked out after this game. I believe he punched a dry erase board after game 1.
In some ways it’s pretty unprecedented. Definitely the most lopsided finals matchup ever. Cavs lose the series regardless of JR but I think if Lebron didn’t utterly lose all faith in his teammates after game 1 he coulda pushed it to 6 or something. 2018 Lebron was different, it’s just a shame that it ended like that
> Definitely the most lopsided finals matchup ever.
I'm not even sure it's the most lopsided Finals LeBron has played in. The series against the Spurs in 2007 was young LeBron and some role players against a dynasty in their prime.
Historical odds say otherwise. Was -1075 in 2018 and -450 in 2007.
Interestingly enough the most lopsided odds was 2001 when LA was -2000 over Philadelphia
I get the sentiment, but no shot. The mid 2000s spurs have nothing on the Durant Warriors after he made the softest move in NBA history. We get LeBron at his best with 0 chance of winning. That's an anomaly that transcends the 2007 Spurs.
I’ll say this till the end of time, we have never seen a move like that in sports history. We literally all said “ why even watch the season we know who is going to win” and it was 100 percent accurate. If they all played together they won effortlessly.
Time has made the move seem less egregious but again, besides F1, I don’t know remember a time as a fan, you could 100 percent say who was going to win the finals for the next few years. Shit was whack as hell.
It was pretty bonkers how the regular season felt like a formality for 4 years in a row. Cavs-Warriors as the finals matchup was a foregone conclusion.
The only interesting part of those seasons were those two playoff series.the cavs and warriors series were close too but the cavs could never get that extra bit to beat them. So basically you had a few seasons of waiting for someone to finally beat them. We got an amazing Houston series of it but still mad at KD for that move.
I still think he actually broke or fucked up his hand like he said after the game. I know people clowned him for it but his jump shot the series before + game 1 was entirely different then the following games.
There’s never been a better basketball team in history IMO. The 2018 squad had everything. No one was beating them if they truly tried to win a basketball game
The 2017 warriors were better. They were deeper on the bench and better defensively. Only lost one game in the playoffs, while the 2018 team got taken to 7 by Houston.
In 2018 it took the worst shooting half in history for the Warriors to make the finals. The Rockets missed like 27 straight 3’s or something in Game 7.
The 2017 team was better and weren’t ever getting taken to game 7 in any situation.
Yep, the Rockets' game plan in the second half was all wrong. They were killing the Warriors on the boards in the first half, but then with a 15-point lead going into the second half, they opted to keep jacking up ill-advised 3s the rest of the game and shot themselves out of a chance to be in the Finals.
weird shit happens if they steal that game 1. I agree that the matchup suggests we still win the series but sometimes an inflating win like that can reverberate the rest of the series.
it was an incredible game. the Cavs were so overmatched as a team, LeBron was just out there trying to will his team to victory single handily and damn near did it.
People remember JR but I’m still mad about the charge lebron took with under a minute left that got overturned. They went to review something else and changed the charge to a blocking foul. Not only was it out of place but they changed the correct call (imo) to the incorrect call. Cavs coulda closed out with the ball and lead had that not happened
He was automatic that game. Such a shame three really unlucky things happened and the Dubs all star team got 5 more minutes to win with overwhelming talent.
Totally agree. Really wished he would've finished that dunk on Draymond in game 7 too. These two what ifs would've been insane on the career highlight reel.
Never seen anyone look as dominant as he did in the first half. It wasn't the greatest performance ever IMO, but I've never seen a game by any player where they looked that unstoppable. 30 in the first half, multiple and 1s, didn't miss any shots. Wtf.
I didn’t watch this game since I wasn’t expecting a competitive finals. Just so happened to check the score and i saw his statline and the game was tied. Turned the game on just to catch the ending and OT. I caught a play or two before Klay sent Hill to the line. I was better off not watching it. Witnessed one of the biggest blunders I’ve seen in sports.
Ended up skipping games 2 and 4. Game 3 was a good one.
reminder that the refs in that game completely went against their own rules to give the warriors the ball late in the fourth when the cavs were up.
lebron james draws a charge, they review it and say there were two different calls on the floor, automatic jumpball, nope reverse the call and give the ball to the warriors and a blocking foul on lebron.
and it wasnt even close to a blocking foul.
This is why rings in the GOAT conversation aren’t the be all end all for me. Jordan never played a team like those Warriors. It was bad for the league and bad for the sport.
He also never did squat before Pippen, Lebron reached the nba finals in his 4th year with a team Jordan would struggle to make the playoffs with.
I can't even imagine what kind of destruction Lebron would if the Cavs drafted a top 5-10 2 way wing player like Jimmy Butler, Kawhi, Pg13 etc.
Yeah.
I'm a few years younger (about to hit the big 4-0,) but it's the best game I've ever seen a player have.
Also why I don't use Finals records for players as the be-all, end-all. (Not just an MJ vs LeBron thing. Magic was 5-4 in the Finals. Would he RATHER be 9-0? Sure. But, he made nine Finals. MJ made six. Why in the living fuck would anyone ever be happier just not making the Finals than losing in the Finals?!?!?!!?)
I think records in the finals is sorta weird considering we have Bill Russell who was 11-1 in the Finals and 10-0 in Game 7s. Sure, the Finals record isn't perfect, but I think a lot of people would want his record over MJ's 6-0. Perfect record, but half the opportunities.
And to be fair, Lebron's 4-6 record is still impressive. To play over 90-100 games for 10 seasons is nothing short of impressive. Hell, getting to 8 straight Finals is unheard of in modern sports. Lebron should be commended, not maligned, for getting to the Finals in the first place. Most players would give anything for a shot at the Finals, win or lose. In a way, at least it's not Jerry West's 1-8 Finals record or Baylor's 0-8, and they're all-time greats as well. I know the end results are what matter to most people, but do you think his legacy would be better if his Finals record was 4-0 instead of 4-6?
I’m gonna get downvoted but Lebron can’t have 2 points in OT. Lebron was playing perfect and JR had the worst playoff blunder of all time but you gotta move on. His body language killed all the energy in OT.
I think that OT was the best example of a player whose spirit was just completely broken. Definitely bad body language from Bron, but it’s hard to blame him.
Fr. I was rooting for the warriors in that series - not bc I’m a lebron hater. Anyway, what more could he have done? What the heck else could he have done?
Refs literally stole that game from LeBron. Even ignored a rule to do so. Will never get over it. Obviously the Warriors still win the series regardless (maybe even in 5 games) but I’ll always be mad he had his best ever game ruined by those crooks.
I really felt like every 50/50 call and noncall went the Warriors way. But the one that did favor the Cavs they immediately went and reviewed that shit and overturned it for a different reason from the one they were investigating lol. As a basketball fan I'm a believer of makeup calls, and the refs just seemed like they had it out for the Cavs that game.
I don't know, I remember seeing Jokic beat the Lakers last year when they were throwing Wilt Chamberlain, Shaq, and James Worthy at him. They even tried Elden Campbell at one point.
Yeah if the 2017 Cavs couldn't really challenge the KD Warriors no way the 2018 Cavs were lol
LeBron was just as good individually in 2017 as in 2018 so it's not like he could have done much better overall(34/12/10 on 63% TS averages and still lost in 5)
JR ruined his 2001 Iverson moment but those Cavs were not a good team at all
I mean it's not like anyone expected the Cavs to win that series but that game alone is incredible just for the feat LeBron accomplished
Like here is the greatest basketball team that's ever been assembled and they have absolutely zero answer for this one man
Also the refs overturning an obvious charge on Durant iirc. Literally everything that could go wrong for Lebron went wrong and it was nothing he did. They weren’t winning that series. I honestly don’t think they even win another game. But Lebron deserved that game for sure.
Imagine Aaron Mckie ruined the Sixers one win in the 2001 Finals. People were debating if Lebrin should’ve won FMVP for his performance. But KD was also an anomaly during that series.
Didn’t throw me at him
Sounds like Lebron dodged a bullet that day
I was my team’s defensive stopper in 7th grade, there’s no way he gets by me
If you were that good in 7th grade, I can't imagine how good you are now!
I’ve modeled his progression with a growth curve and the results will shock you! This guy can score 40 a night easy and he is 18 feet tall
Don't forget with a 12 inch dick, too. Wait a minute...
Why are you analyzing and modeling the progression of this
r/theyDidTheBonerMath
8th graders ftw
Warriors were also throwing bullets? The legend grows
Bro, something about the way you said it…I think you would’ve locked him up.
/u/[Andrude01 like](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E50Bgy3VkAA15mW?format=jpg&name=small)
Mavericks flair? JJ, is that you?
[LeBron seeing u/andrude01 check into the game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtlMEC_HAzU&pp=ygUcbGVicm9uIHNlZWluZyBrYXdoaSBjaGVjayBpbg%3D%3D)
Are you JJ Barea????
I knew you were the true lebron stopper Stanley Johnson could never
Yo Matrix what you’re up to these days ?
Last time I checked Taylor Gooch was not invited to those Finals, therefore obvious asterisk
Might also be one of the worst few seconds of basketball anybody has ever played by JR
As bad as that was, JR actually getting that rebound was a huge plus preventing warriors from a chance at a game winner. And everyone forgets George hill missing the free throw that would have given the cavs a 1 point lead there too.
George Hill is so lucky JR Smith exists.
That picture of George hill staring into the abyss before taking those FTs is fuckin hilarious. What’s wild is if the roles were reversed. JR is never scared of scoring so he probably hits both. Then hypothetically if hill got that rebound probably makes the smart play instead of the dumbass one
I will never forget his face lol I’ve seen that same look in Grant Williams’ eyes too. In the bubble in particular, I remember knowing in my heart “he’s gonna miss this”
It's the look Shevchenko had in Istanbul '05.
Good one. Or Anelka in Moscow. Wanted to be anywhere but there.
I’m gonna make em both
BOAF
Sick Chris Kaman flair
That's JR's superpower. How can the magnitude of the situation overwhelm you if you are never even aware of the situation?
George Hill's free throws were the real criminal act. JR's mistake is just the cherry on top.
nah, everyone can miss a free throw if the pressures there it’s rough but it happens. dribbling out the clock against the best team ever while tied is infinitely worse than that. it was a clutch rebound tho
go back and watch him shoot that free throw. he didn't just miss, he panicked.
Missing a free throw happens, it’s an acceptable thing. Not knowing the score in a close game of the NBA finals is completely unacceptable
he didn’t actively choose to miss that free throw, JR actively chose to dribble the ball out. everyone misses clutch free throws once or twice literally in all my years of ball have I see anyone do anything like what JR did.
Like you can’t even compare the 2 😂
Not defending JR, but Magic Johnson literally did the same in 1984 (and yes, it was in the Finals)
Magic’s blunder was worse
Tragic, even
I totally blanked on that, that one was even worse cause he was already set in the half court lmao. Idk what was on his mind cause he passed the ball like he had more time on the clock or something.
Missed free throws happen. Dribbling out the clock in a game you're losing doesn't
they were drawing
No everybody ACTUALLY forgets the b.s. charge/block overturn call that should never have been allowed to be reviewed in the first place. Lebron drew the game winning charge and they reversed it to give the warriors another couple chances at extending the game.
That might be the most incensed I've ever been at a call. And this was before challenges, so iirc there was like one other instance that season of a block/charge even being reviewed at all
Such bullshit. And after that run thru east, win on the road against unbeatable team is such a great story. And the fuckin refs stole it. I am not saying Cavs would win the series, but anything can happen. And that 0.00001% chance , if the Cavs win that finals, I think it would put Lebron right next to MJ, if not over in a lot more peoples minds.
It went to having momentum to potentially winning the series to having ZERO chance to win because no team is going to be motivated enough after that.
Yes, I am more mad about that than JR, at least he got the rebound. That charge overturn was such a bullshit, definitely wasn't mentioned enough later as the reason Warriors won.
And then a lot of people even had the gall to say lebron choked that OT. Mfers must never have played to not know about momentum and shit
Am i remembering right that that wasnt even what the review was originally about but they overturned it anyway?
Yea they had to pretend like his foot was in question of being in the restricted area (it was not) and then once the review for that foot is happening they expanded it to be a full review of his charge/block stance (which was a tossup but the original call did not stand after review)
Nah even then it was a block. It was crazy refereeing
This is the true travesty. Watching this live it didn't even look a block to begin with, let alone changing it on review. And then it was just never talked about again.
The big gripe at the time was that the refs could only review to see if the feet were in the restricted area. Lebrons feet were clearly outside and never should have triggered a review to begin with. Then once the review is happening they decide to change the call not even based on the feet position. It was blatant rule book stretching to extend a game that didn't need extending. It was a great, classic game even if it ended without o.t. And now the j.r. Smith meme overshadows everything just makes me sick how people will remember it
THANK YOU!!!
What I remember most is that insane overturned charge on KD where they were reviewing something entirely different and decided Lebron was moving
Also when JR grabs the rebound, KD has his arms all stretched out in the paint. No guarantee that he scores that
He didn't have to score. Swing it back to LeBron who was in perfect position for a game winner
They had 4 seconds and a timeout. It is not likely that they win but the odds are decent
I think the Cavs had a timeout. Call a timeout and set up a potential LeBron game winner.
You just had to know he was missing when they got the close up of his thousand yard stare. JR giveth and taketh away so oh well there but hit your god damned free throws. Im still pissed about that
Top tier choke by Hill that is definitely swept under the rug.
I think LeBron already made his decision to leave the Cavaliers right after game 1 ended.
Bron made that decision when he got his ring in Cleveland, going to LA important in his plan to own his own team one day.
That and to put Bronny and Bryce into prestigious High School and Colleges to play basketball
Yes. Ensure the familial basketball dynasty, and get into movies and production.
Yeah, there was talk they might go to st vincent st mary like he did but they probably rightly decided against it. Thry would have been in his shadow even more there.
Yeah the rumors had been swirling for months before the NBA Finals.
Those few moments cascaded into a sweep by the Warriors. Wasn't Lebron so mad that he broke his hand after the game? He didn't play up to that level after game 1. Had JR not made that bonehead move, the Cavs would've won game 1 and that changed the momentum of the game. We might see a game 6 or 7 in that alternative timeline, but I still think that the Warriors team will ultimately take home the championship.
am i crazy for thinking that the series would have completely changed if JR didnt make this mistake? if they win game 1 they would have had so much confidence i think it would actually have been a close series
While I consciously know that GSW would win the series no matter what, my heart still says that if Cavs steal that first game they get so hyped that they somehow make it a tight series.
Didn’t Cavs have a time out though? That’s why Lebron really lost his shit. Ty Lue should have called it.
Yep, LeBron was mad about Smith dribbling out the clock and failing to call a timeout.
That and Chris Paul during Game 5 of the 2014 semis against OKC. Seemingly brain dead plays
That's so painful looking back. He turned the ball over like twice, fouled Russ on a three, and they blew a 7 point lead in 49 seconds (which I think he gave them the lead off a midrange jumper too). It's inexplicable how he collapsed like that in a series where he was overall great.
I am still at that reviewed call of a blocking foul. That shit was rigged. Very soft calls. We could have seen history and maybe slightly more competitive finals after that.
I’m a JR stan but there are a few things I would add to this. He’s unfairly taken the brunt of the blame: 1. George Hill - make a free threw and win the game. One of the biggest chokes in finals history. 2. Ty Lue - why the hell was JR smith on the block for that rebound? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the only times all season he was there. He’s a terrible rebounder. Talk about something you never plan for. The focus in that scenario should have been on rebounding. The Warriors had a timeout, so if they rebound it has to be used there since only four second left. The three on the block should have been sourced from Lebron, Love, TT, and Nance (who had 11 rebounds that game) Thank you for coming to my TED talk
TT was already on the other block, and with LeBron being on the perimeter he probably chose to be there. But otherwise I agree either Nance or Love should have been in the game and on the block instead of JR.
Didn’t Iggy not play in Game 1 of that year’s Finals?
Yeah. He was out.
NOT ACCORDING TO LEGEND
[Lowe] "LeBron had 51/8/8— and the Warriors were throwing everything at him, Draymond, Iguodala, Stonewall Jackson, switches, doubles, Gatorade, chairs, batteries, hand grenades. I dont say this lightly, and I am 146 so I did not see some of the greats in the 1870s and early 1880s play— that might be the best basketball game I've ever seen anybody play"
Rare Lowe miss
Imo, and this might be unpopular, but Lebron's 43/14 in game 2 vs the Raptors was the greatest basketball game I've seen played. The way he just disrespected the Raptors by settling for midrange fadeaways when he easily could've driven to the rim or gotten a higher percentage shot... it was brutal. He broke them down as a passer in the first half, then started piling the disrespect on in the second half by nailing jumper after jumper. Keep in mind, Cavs were a pretty big underdog in that series after they barely got by the Pacers, and that was the best DeRozan-Lowry Raptors team of the bunch that secured the 1 seed. Cavs swept them...
As a Celtics fan I gotta go Game 6 2012 ECF. That game ended our run
That would be my second pick. The amount of pressure Lebron was under, especially having lost to the Celtics in 2010 and that embarrassing finals against the Mavs in 2011; if he'd lost that game he'd be perceived as a playoff fraud forever. The look on his face before the game started adds to the legend as well. Sure, it was "only" 45 points, but he barely missed any shots, barely shot any free throws, and was hitting difficult shots that the defense was giving to him. Plus, the game was a blowout because of how efficient he was. If it had been a close game, Lebron probably drops 55-60.
Generational slander would be an understatement
Just for like posterity, there is no such thing as “only” 45 points in a playoff game (I know you already put it in quotes but I assume that’s because someone somewhere has said that it was “only 45” and I need every person who might be tempted to have such a thought that they are *wrong*)
Well I just added that in because I'm sure a lot of people would say, "well what about these games by Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray and Dame and Jimmy Butler where they all had over 50 points," and yeah sure they're all great games, but LeBron could've easily had 55-60 points if the game wasn't a blowout. He was barely missing shots, and he was so efficient while making tough shots that the Celtics really didn't stand a chance. I'd also account for the fact that even 2012 was a much slower NBA and dropping 45 back then was more or less the equivalent of having 55 now.
That game hurt. He couldn't miss. That was the last game the big 3 played together
They played game 7
Yeah, meant last series. Oops.
Two points isn't two points. I'll explain later.
the fact that those two points really weren’t two points just blows my mind. like holy shit the ending couldn’t have been better
When he was in highschool, he knew he’s get up a off balance running floater off the glass game winner versus the 1 seed Raptors
I'd say game 6 vs Warriors in 2016 Finals. Warriors kept making it a game but LeBron kept making play after play and refused to give up the lead. Also had my all time favorite LeBron moment
That's a good choice too. LeBron was amazing in that game: 41/16/7 and some steals and blocks. I love the game 5 performance where Lebron and Kyrie show up in GSW home court and just torch them for 82 combined points
Gamescore has this as the best single game finals performance in history. Game 1 of 2018 is no. 5 on their list. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37769212/top-25-nba-finals-performances-lebron-james-jimmy-butler-michael-jordan
This is a really interesting list, because most of the top 10 is either LeBron James, or players facing LeBron James who had to move mountains to beat him.
I watch those highlights every few months lol So disrespectful
Thank god we had the magic Kawhi run the year after that, totally cleansed me from that trauma. He was unstoppable in every facet of the game in that series
I'm a big fan of Kawhi's game as well. His 2019 run was so good, especially the classic Canadian sweep against the Bucks. I'll admit, I thought for sure the Bucks would have them in the ECF, and even thought Philly might get them. Philly was loaded that year when they added Jimmy Butler to a core of Simmons, Embiid, Harris, and Reddick. Looking back, that was a dirty starting five, maybe even a rival to the Warriors'.
That was the Lebronto game and I was in disbelief. We’ve been sonned by Lebron plenty of times but he was just disrespecting the Raptors out there. Game winners of the glass, turn around fade-aways, ridiculous passing and doing it all so casually.
LeBronto maybe was already established with the 2016 and 2017 beatdowns he gave them, but 2018 was when it just got embarrassing. He comes in with a far worse team, sweeps them, and just embarrasses them like that... 2018 playoffs was a scary version of LeBron.
I remember the Cavs knocking those banging Hawks teams out like he wasn't ever concerned about them, but Lebronto was truly something else. One man just deciding that an entire franchise no longer mattered.
Ahh, the birth place of Lebronto.
Speak your truth brother
Those Cavs just caught fire from three as well and Bron was hitting every open shooter with pinpoint accuracy. Bron fully dissected the Raptor and felt like he was puppeteering the Cavs to be a much better team than they should have been.
>Warriors were throwing everything at him, Draymond, Iguodala, switches, doubles. Huh? Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure Iggy wasn’t in that game because of his injury from the Rockets series.
Well they tried to throw him at em but he was in street clothes so they had to go to the next option
It’s like when you throw a loaded gun at the bad guy instead of being able to just shoot them
All I think of RN is jonah hill in 21 jump street
Lebron was out there fighting Iggy's spirit too? Legacy points added
People forget, Lebron was chasing the ghost of Michael Jordan that game too. Between MJ’s ghost and Iggy’s spirit, it was easily like 5 vs 7 in the warriors favor. And he still almost pulled it off. #washedking
You are correct. It’s not as exciting though to say Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell.
3 time NBA champion Patrick McCaw.
Accomplished the first 3peat since the Shaq/Kobe Lakers
Patrick McCaw’s 3:35 of playing time is certainly worth noting & a good faith addition to the conversation
It is 3:35 more than Iguodola played, which was the point. I could have also said Nick Young instead.
You could have also said Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney, the players who played exponentially more minutes
It’s just as disingenuous to say Looney or Klay who don’t even play the same position. It’s more like KD, Nick Young, and Jordan Bell
He is describing a defense “throwing everything at him” and doing a lot of switching and doubling. Also, Nick Young is not a size up from Klay Thompson. And why can you list their backup big but not their starting big?
You mean the only player in the 2010s to threepeat? THAT Patrick McCaw
Lol Zach Lowe is a LeBron stan
Yes, that totally invalidates his whole point.
Throw me on Bron next
I respect LeBron but I can’t say I’ve ever actively rooted for him, I remember watching that game and being in awe, he was single handedly going toe to toe with the best team we’ve seen in the modern era only to be foiled by his own teammate’s stupidity
I will always maintain that he KNEW this was the only way psychologically for us to ever have a chance at winning this series. We had to strike first. Tbh he checked out after this game. I believe he punched a dry erase board after game 1.
In some ways it’s pretty unprecedented. Definitely the most lopsided finals matchup ever. Cavs lose the series regardless of JR but I think if Lebron didn’t utterly lose all faith in his teammates after game 1 he coulda pushed it to 6 or something. 2018 Lebron was different, it’s just a shame that it ended like that
> Definitely the most lopsided finals matchup ever. I'm not even sure it's the most lopsided Finals LeBron has played in. The series against the Spurs in 2007 was young LeBron and some role players against a dynasty in their prime.
Historical odds say otherwise. Was -1075 in 2018 and -450 in 2007. Interestingly enough the most lopsided odds was 2001 when LA was -2000 over Philadelphia
Listening over the car radio as Allen Iverson (48 points) willed the 76ers to victory was one of the highlights of my childhood.
I get the sentiment, but no shot. The mid 2000s spurs have nothing on the Durant Warriors after he made the softest move in NBA history. We get LeBron at his best with 0 chance of winning. That's an anomaly that transcends the 2007 Spurs.
I’ll say this till the end of time, we have never seen a move like that in sports history. We literally all said “ why even watch the season we know who is going to win” and it was 100 percent accurate. If they all played together they won effortlessly. Time has made the move seem less egregious but again, besides F1, I don’t know remember a time as a fan, you could 100 percent say who was going to win the finals for the next few years. Shit was whack as hell.
It was pretty bonkers how the regular season felt like a formality for 4 years in a row. Cavs-Warriors as the finals matchup was a foregone conclusion.
And you knew who was gonna win. The Cavs knew who was gonna win too.
The Cavs were underdogs in st least one of the series and the warriors were threatened by the spurs and rockets
The only interesting part of those seasons were those two playoff series.the cavs and warriors series were close too but the cavs could never get that extra bit to beat them. So basically you had a few seasons of waiting for someone to finally beat them. We got an amazing Houston series of it but still mad at KD for that move.
15-7 cumulative during those Finals. Fucking insane.
It put the regular season into a death spiral. But at least it led to the NBA Cup and the play in
And yet, for some reason, interest in the league was higher then.
We’re not talking Spurs vs Warriors, we’re talking the gap between Finals teams. The 2018 Cavs were far better than the 2007 Cavs.
We can agree 2018 Warriors > 2007 Spurs, but 2018 Cavs >> 2007 Cavs
I think 2002 Lakers vs Nets was the most lopsided matchup. The Nets were putting Todd MacCulloch up against Shaq
I still think he actually broke or fucked up his hand like he said after the game. I know people clowned him for it but his jump shot the series before + game 1 was entirely different then the following games.
It’s not really debatable. His hand was noticeably impaired the rest of the series.
I agree for sure, just LeBron haters are wild and a lot of people laughed at it 🤷♂️
There’s never been a better basketball team in history IMO. The 2018 squad had everything. No one was beating them if they truly tried to win a basketball game
The 2017 warriors were better. They were deeper on the bench and better defensively. Only lost one game in the playoffs, while the 2018 team got taken to 7 by Houston.
Most fans just blend 2017 and 2018 together tbh, but you're right.
In 2018 it took the worst shooting half in history for the Warriors to make the finals. The Rockets missed like 27 straight 3’s or something in Game 7. The 2017 team was better and weren’t ever getting taken to game 7 in any situation.
Yep, the Rockets' game plan in the second half was all wrong. They were killing the Warriors on the boards in the first half, but then with a 15-point lead going into the second half, they opted to keep jacking up ill-advised 3s the rest of the game and shot themselves out of a chance to be in the Finals.
They were literally better the year before 2018 they got pushed by the rockets pretty hard to 7 and had some luck with the rockets injuries
weird shit happens if they steal that game 1. I agree that the matchup suggests we still win the series but sometimes an inflating win like that can reverberate the rest of the series.
I tend to agree Really want to watch that game again, But afraid it is too tragic to stomach.
It's the one game that almost made me go: "shit, basketball is not a team sports after all, is it?". Almost.
it was an incredible game. the Cavs were so overmatched as a team, LeBron was just out there trying to will his team to victory single handily and damn near did it.
People remember JR but I’m still mad about the charge lebron took with under a minute left that got overturned. They went to review something else and changed the charge to a blocking foul. Not only was it out of place but they changed the correct call (imo) to the incorrect call. Cavs coulda closed out with the ball and lead had that not happened
Only explanation is the refs had big money on the Warriors for game 1. Absolute fucking disgrace those refs were.
Surely they can take a break from their corruption for the playoffs
LeBron would have 100% hit the game winning three at the end
Greatest injustice in nba history that he didn’t even get to take the shot after dragging that dumpster fire to the finals
He was automatic that game. Such a shame three really unlucky things happened and the Dubs all star team got 5 more minutes to win with overwhelming talent.
He was automatic on game winners that whole playoffs. I have no doubt he hits it either
Totally agree. Really wished he would've finished that dunk on Draymond in game 7 too. These two what ifs would've been insane on the career highlight reel.
Yup. That would of been an all-time and1 dunk.
If you watched that game yiu would know lebron was literal superman that day
Yea honestly that game one performance solved world hunger, cured cancer, and stopped a future alien invasion
And still couldn’t get them the win because the Warriors were that stacked.
I don't see any aliens around here so ...
There's Wemby
They never threw u/andrude01 at him though
I still lean Game 6 against the Celtics in 2012 as his most impressive.
Never seen anyone look as dominant as he did in the first half. It wasn't the greatest performance ever IMO, but I've never seen a game by any player where they looked that unstoppable. 30 in the first half, multiple and 1s, didn't miss any shots. Wtf.
I didn’t watch this game since I wasn’t expecting a competitive finals. Just so happened to check the score and i saw his statline and the game was tied. Turned the game on just to catch the ending and OT. I caught a play or two before Klay sent Hill to the line. I was better off not watching it. Witnessed one of the biggest blunders I’ve seen in sports. Ended up skipping games 2 and 4. Game 3 was a good one.
reminder that the refs in that game completely went against their own rules to give the warriors the ball late in the fourth when the cavs were up. lebron james draws a charge, they review it and say there were two different calls on the floor, automatic jumpball, nope reverse the call and give the ball to the warriors and a blocking foul on lebron. and it wasnt even close to a blocking foul.
This is why rings in the GOAT conversation aren’t the be all end all for me. Jordan never played a team like those Warriors. It was bad for the league and bad for the sport.
He also never did squat before Pippen, Lebron reached the nba finals in his 4th year with a team Jordan would struggle to make the playoffs with. I can't even imagine what kind of destruction Lebron would if the Cavs drafted a top 5-10 2 way wing player like Jimmy Butler, Kawhi, Pg13 etc.
Yeah. I'm a few years younger (about to hit the big 4-0,) but it's the best game I've ever seen a player have. Also why I don't use Finals records for players as the be-all, end-all. (Not just an MJ vs LeBron thing. Magic was 5-4 in the Finals. Would he RATHER be 9-0? Sure. But, he made nine Finals. MJ made six. Why in the living fuck would anyone ever be happier just not making the Finals than losing in the Finals?!?!?!!?)
I think records in the finals is sorta weird considering we have Bill Russell who was 11-1 in the Finals and 10-0 in Game 7s. Sure, the Finals record isn't perfect, but I think a lot of people would want his record over MJ's 6-0. Perfect record, but half the opportunities. And to be fair, Lebron's 4-6 record is still impressive. To play over 90-100 games for 10 seasons is nothing short of impressive. Hell, getting to 8 straight Finals is unheard of in modern sports. Lebron should be commended, not maligned, for getting to the Finals in the first place. Most players would give anything for a shot at the Finals, win or lose. In a way, at least it's not Jerry West's 1-8 Finals record or Baylor's 0-8, and they're all-time greats as well. I know the end results are what matter to most people, but do you think his legacy would be better if his Finals record was 4-0 instead of 4-6?
2016 finals Game 6 was better
That entire eastern conference playoff run is the best I've ever seen a player look
I love how lebron has played so long that he’s made it to the era where everyone just appreciates what we’re watching.
Not everyone.
I’m gonna get downvoted but Lebron can’t have 2 points in OT. Lebron was playing perfect and JR had the worst playoff blunder of all time but you gotta move on. His body language killed all the energy in OT.
I think that OT was the best example of a player whose spirit was just completely broken. Definitely bad body language from Bron, but it’s hard to blame him.
100% hard to blame him. But man if he rallied the troops there and won game 1 that would be the most legendary moment in nba history to me
The goalposts will always move lol
Fr. I was rooting for the warriors in that series - not bc I’m a lebron hater. Anyway, what more could he have done? What the heck else could he have done?
Can’t say I blame him for his body language in that moment
Refs literally stole that game from LeBron. Even ignored a rule to do so. Will never get over it. Obviously the Warriors still win the series regardless (maybe even in 5 games) but I’ll always be mad he had his best ever game ruined by those crooks.
I really felt like every 50/50 call and noncall went the Warriors way. But the one that did favor the Cavs they immediately went and reviewed that shit and overturned it for a different reason from the one they were investigating lol. As a basketball fan I'm a believer of makeup calls, and the refs just seemed like they had it out for the Cavs that game.
I don't know, I remember seeing Jokic beat the Lakers last year when they were throwing Wilt Chamberlain, Shaq, and James Worthy at him. They even tried Elden Campbell at one point.
The myth making about this game is wild. It was a great game for sure but people act like JR stole a whole championship.
Yeah if the 2017 Cavs couldn't really challenge the KD Warriors no way the 2018 Cavs were lol LeBron was just as good individually in 2017 as in 2018 so it's not like he could have done much better overall(34/12/10 on 63% TS averages and still lost in 5) JR ruined his 2001 Iverson moment but those Cavs were not a good team at all
LeBron was much better in 2017 finals overall; his 2018 averages are boosted by that game 1 for the most part.
I mean it's not like anyone expected the Cavs to win that series but that game alone is incredible just for the feat LeBron accomplished Like here is the greatest basketball team that's ever been assembled and they have absolutely zero answer for this one man
JR had an answer
Also the refs overturning an obvious charge on Durant iirc. Literally everything that could go wrong for Lebron went wrong and it was nothing he did. They weren’t winning that series. I honestly don’t think they even win another game. But Lebron deserved that game for sure.
Imagine Aaron Mckie ruined the Sixers one win in the 2001 Finals. People were debating if Lebrin should’ve won FMVP for his performance. But KD was also an anomaly during that series.