LeBron James ran the length of the court to swat away Derrick Rose’s game-tying attempt with 50 seconds left in Game 5 in Cleveland. That’s one former MVP telling another that it’ll take a better shot than that to win on his home floor. The critical moment was James at his finest, doing the intangibles that are critical to playoff success. Yes, James scored 38 points in the contest, but perhaps none of those was as big as the block, which stunted a huge comeback run by the Bulls. Cavs emerged 106-101.
LeBron James could win the MVP every year, as his teammate J.R. Smith insisted recently. What Smith meant was that defensively and offensively no player in the league has a greater impact on his team’s success than James, night in and night out. The block is just another example.
