Breaking Down LeBron James’ Game Winning Layup

Jae Bradley — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:31 +0000

May 22, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat power forward Chris Andersen (11) drives to the basket as Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) looks on during the second half in game one of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Miami wins in overtime 103-102. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

2.2 seconds left in overtime of Game 1 and the Miami Heat are trailing the Indiana Pacers 101-102 and are inbounding the ball from the sideline. They currently have LeBron James, Ray Allen, Shane Battier (who is inbounding the ball), Norris Cole, and Chris Bosh in the game. The Pacers have Paul George, Tyler Hansbrough, David West, George Hill, and Sam Young playing defense.

Bosh is at the top of the key, LeBron is at the foul line, Ray Allen is on the right block, and Norris Cole is actually hiding on the left baseline (hard to see him here — stupid “White Out” jerseys).

Ray Allen has taken off, looking to curl around LeBron James. Sam Young, who was guarding Ray Allen is now guarding Ray Allen’s shadow.

Just as Ray Allen curls around LeBron, Chris Bosh moves to the block. This is probably to 1. further confuse an already lost Sam Young and 2. get Bosh in a good position to potentially rebound/tip the ball. The Pacers react by switching Hansbrough onto Ray Allen and Stephenson onto Chris Bosh, which isn’t actually that bad of an impromptu defensive switch.

Next, Norris Cole comes shooting off the baseline and around a Chris Bosh screen. George Hill, who is guarding Norris Cole, ducks underneath the screen to prevent Battier from delivering the ball to Cole at the three point line.

As Norris Cole shoots to the three point line, LeBron James (guarded by Paul George) breaks towards the ball. What has happened is that there are essentially no paint defenders other than Sam Young (who is currently guarding Chris Bosh — mismatch, anybody?). Thus, LeBron should have an open lane to the basket — or at the very least, if LeBron drives, there should be little help defense.

LeBron receives the ball around the three point line and you can see the gaping hole in the middle of the court that I referred to previously. Because Erik Spoelstra has essentially three jump shooters (Battier, Cole, and Allen) along with a center that is comfortable shooting the ball (Bosh) he has spread the Pacers out and created the driving lane for LeBron.

LeBron’s on his way to the hoop, having blown by Paul George. Sam Young has started trotting over to ~~not~~ help on defense (speaking of which, how does LeBron go something like 22 feet in 2.2 seconds — and is barely touched by a single Indiana Pacer?)

Four words: LeBron. James. Game. Over.

Eastern Conference Finals: Game 1 Recap

Kristopher Keaton — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:43:26 +0000

May 22, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) makes the game winning basket against the Indiana Pacers in overtime of game one of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. The Heat win 103-102. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

In a tightly contested game, the Heat defeated the Pacers, 103-102 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

LeBron James recorded a triple double, going for 10 rebounds and 10 assists, in addition to 30 points, which included the game winning layup as time expired. Dwyane Wade added 17 points, while Chris Bosh and Chris Anderson each chipped in 14.

Paul George led the Pacers with 27 points, including a huge 3 with 0.7 seconds left in the 4th to send the game into OT and then 3 clutch free throws to give the Pacers a 1 point lead with 2.2 seconds left in OT. David West added and Roy Hibbert contributed 19.

Close, gritty, and physical, this game was everything we expected to be. Both teams started the game sloppy, committing 25 turnovers in the first half. They settled down in the second half, and the game remained tight through out. The Pacers won the battle on the glass, grabbing 43 rebounds, to Miami’s 38. But committing 20 turnovers will almost always hurt Indiana more than Miami, and that proved true in Game 1. The turning point in this game, however, came when Pacers coach Frank Vogel took Hibbert out of the game to match the Heat’s small ball lineup. Doing so allowed James to have driving lanes with worrying about a shot blocker in front of the rim.

The Pacers never stopped coming, and showed the Heat that this series will be no walkthrough. But in the end, King James was just too much. James seemed to be regressing to his former self, with a bunch of missed shots, silly fouls, and bad turnovers as the game wore down. But he scored the 4 most important points for the Heat down the stretch. Two big time layups, one over George Hill to give the Heat the lead, and then the game winner.

If any of the remaining games are anything like this, we will be in for a classic series.

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Breaking Down LeBron James’ Game Winning Layup

Eastern Conference Finals: Game 1 Recap