LeBron James finds himself in a position all too familiar. His Cavaliers are down 0-2 to a monstrosity of a Golden State Warriors team in an NBA Finals swinging back to Cleveland for Game 3. Unlike previous seasons, a sweep is in play, and a loss in Game 3 to a Warriors team boasting both Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry all but solidifies another blemish on The King’s legacy.
LeBron James crafted his greatest playoff moment 5 years ago today. He’ll need to do it again
James scored 45 points against the Celtics to avoid elimination in the 2012 conference finals. The King needs his own history to repeat itself.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
It’s not a place LeBron wants to be, but he’s here nonetheless.
But on this very day — June 7 — five years ago, James found himself in a similar position. His Miami Heat were in the elimination chamber, down 3-2 in their 2012 Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics. It was the second year LeBron’s Big 3, including Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, had been together, and a loss — as dominant as that roster had been — could have called his legacy into question.
Instead, James turned in one of the greatest performances of his unrivaled career.
The King obliterated the Celtics, scoring 45 points on 19-of-26 shooting. He grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the Heat to a 98-86 victory on the road. It was a performance the sucked the life out of a Boston Garden crowd that was only one win shy of cheering its team on to yet another NBA Finals appearance — one the Celtics may have won against a fresh, young Oklahoma City Thunder team.
The Heat went on to win Game 7, 101-88, behind 31 points from LeBron before defeating the Thunder in five games to claim the first of James’ three championships. He has since reached the NBA Finals five more times for a streak of seven straight.
LeBron will need a similar effort in Game 3 if Cleveland hopes to take down Golden State.
Through Games 1 and 2, James is averaging a triple double at 28.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. But as good as those numbers have been, LeBron needs to be better.
The body of the snake follows its head, and there’s no question James is the alpha and omega of this Cavaliers team. Yes, Kyrie Irving needs to get from under a rock and play basketball — 19 points on 8-of-23 shooting just isn’t going to cut it. Yes, Kevin Love needs to be consistent. He scored 27 points in Game 2 after shooting just 4-of-13 in Game 1.
And absolutely, the supporting cast has to be better.
Tristan Thompson has only eight rebounds in two games against the Warriors. Deron Williams has scored just as many points as Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul combined in the Finals (pro tip: only one of them have actually competed for a championship). J.R. Smith has only one made field goal in two games, and Kyle Korver — who the Cavs traded for specifically to catch and shoot threes — can’t continue to be inconsistent from downtown.
But when it comes to Cleveland, the buck stops with James, and 28.5 points just isn’t gonna cut it. The King’s going to need an effort of otherworldly proportions if the Cavaliers are going to comeback against this caliber, this class of a Golden State team.
And if he can’t put up the numbers he did five years ago, James could be swept for the first time since his first Finals appearance in 2007.
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