LeBron James lives in many NBA Finals games in which he has played great and lost. It’s a story of his career.
But Game 5 duel James won the Miami Heat’s season-saving 111-108 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday with the Jimmy Butler, immediately heading into the entrance of his career’s downhill.
Prior to Friday night, James ‘biggest man-to-man-heavyweight-style match was with James L. Pierce, who is still the most active of all James’ rivals, in Game 7 of the 2008 conference semifinals. James scored 45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers ’92 points on Sunday afternoon in Bolin. Pierce had 1, both players defending each other, reaching their sweet places and holding, pushing and cursing. The Celtics won by five.
But it probably goes down a notch after this James-Butler show. The duo were brilliant to go chest all night, culminating in the final three minutes in which they traded scoring on six consecutive properties. Mike Brain, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were on the James vs. Pierce broadcast 12 years ago, and they were there again on Friday to tell a beautiful game.
Butler finished with a block of 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steels and all but 48 seconds of play. It was an incredibly efficient performance, featuring 11-for-19 shooting, though he often had to work with a large, elite defender in Anthony Davis.
James already had the greatest shooting games of his already fully effective Finals career. He scored 15 of his 21 shots and six of his nine 3, dream numbers for a player who values efficiency. He closed with 40 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steels.
James said, “That’s the beauty of the game, being able to compete at the highest level.” You take those opportunities and you live in the moment. You’re trying to make plays for your team and succeed on both ends. “
In the end, they were really protecting each other. James was on Butler when hit teammate Jay Crower set up a perfect back screen that freed Butler from the basket and misled Davis. The following was the difference in the free throw game.
Butler checked James on the final game, but James faced a double and then a triple-team as he got into the paint, which resulted in a kickout that resulted in a missed 3-pointer that would torment Danny Green for a while.
That was it – how small the distance was. Meanwhile, there were a number of displays set with nuance reeds and fins that led to powerful, sublime front and back.
In that fourth quarter, James had 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists as he had to keep the Lakers with Davis hanging on to the sore leg. Butler, who had eight points, three rebounds and three assists, continued to play point guard after being sidelined with a leg injury, mostly with hit star Goran Drake.
Butler said of the war, “It really, really, really great players do.” “But we’re not retreating. We’re not stripping. We can and will go to the other end. I think. [James] “Tonight was the hell of an effect.”
James now has 10 playoff losses in his career when he has 40 points, second only to Michael Jordan’s 12.
Butler has scored or assisted 240 points in the last four games. He is the highest in the final, except for James, who had 245 in the 2017 final. In 1993, Jordan had 239 runs in four games.
These guys are touching on history, and it’s ridiculously high standard when it comes to James. But how great that butler has been. And that’s how specific this is between the two.
“We were both just trying to do that and trying to give our team a win,” James said. “You know, he was able to do one more play than I was able to make tonight and came away with a victory.”
More: What can the Lakers do about Jimmy Butler?
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