LeBron James had to be great; and he was
CLEVELAND – LeBron James needs to be great for the Cleveland Cavaliers to beat the Golden State Warriors. But in the first two games of the NBA Finals, James was OK, and it wasn’t even close to enough.
In Game 3, James was great.
He made his first four shots and nine of his final 12 and in a game that the desperate Cavs couldn’t afford to lose, James had 32 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals in Cleveland’s 120-90 victory over the Warriors.
“We finally got back to our game,” James said. “It was just good basketball. It was a good flow, and everyone felt like they were a part of (Wednesday’s) win. So it was just a collective team win.”
James attacked the paint, scoring 16 points at the rim. He was 3-of-6 with his mid-range game and 1-of-2 on three-pointers. He exploited mismatches, broke free for dunks and pushed the ball in transition often. Cleveland displayed its preferred style for the first time in the series.
“I just wanted to play a little bit inside and outside. I started off the game going in the interior and just trying to fan out their defense a little bit,” James said. “We did a great job of spacing out with RJ, with Ky, and also with Swish (Smith), so it gave me a little bit more room to work down in the post. I missed a ton of chippies, but I was loving the space that I was getting and my teammates created for me.”
Before the game, TV cameras videoed James telling his teammates, “Follow my lead.”
“I’ve been around him all season,” Cavs guard-forward Richard Jefferson said. “I’ve watched him play as a rookie. When he said that, I knew what he meant. We’ve been doing it all year. Every team he has been on has followed his lead. (Wednesday) was no different. We followed his lead. He did a great job in leading us to a victory.”
Irving, who had 30 points, followed, too. He can score in bursts, and he did. In a span of three minutes, 41 seconds late in the first quarter, Irving scored 12 points.
“Just realizing the magnitude of what's about to happen, going out there and battling, understanding that we're being led by a great player,” Irving said. “We all understood that. We all know our roles. We know what to expect from one another, but the platform that we're on, understanding the moment, he does a great job of dialing us in.”
J.R. Smith followed, with his best game of the series – 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting – and you know who else followed? Jefferson (nine points, eight rebounds, two steals) who started in place of concussed Kevin Love. Tristan Thompson had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Even though the Cavs built a 20-point lead in the first quarter, they were ahead just 51-43 at halftime, a margin Golden State can erase with three possessions. The Warriors were still in the game.
James can lead with words, but he also needed to lead with action. The Cavs had to have more from James than his 5-of-14 shooting in the first half.
If it was Irving’s show in the first half, it was James’ in the third quarter. He made 5-of-6 shots and had 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal. When James went to the bench with 2:16 left in the third quarter, Cleveland led 81-59.
“I didn't change my approach, and I didn't take over this game,” James said."Kyrie pretty much took over the game, especially early and late. He closed the game out. He started the game, and I just sprinkled in my production along the whole game. He took the game over from that standpoint. I just try to lead these guys to victory.”
James even displayed some gamesmanship. After a ref called a foul on Cavs reserve Iman Shumpert, Curry grabbed the basketball and went up for a layup. But James, standing at the basket, blocked the shot. Golden State's Marreese Speights had a few words for James, who explained his motive after the game.
"When you have the greatest shooter in the world trying to get an easy one or trying to get in rhythm, it's our job to try to keep him out no matter if it's after the whistle or not. That was just my mindset," James said.
He needs to lead, and he needs to be great. He needs to do it again in Game 4.