LeBron James ends huge game with overtime game-winner
Don’t let the Cavs third place standing in the Eastern Conference fool you, they are one of the worst teams in basketball right now. From locker room tension to a lack of on court chemistry, the Cleveland Cavaliers are quickly falling apart.
Despite Cleveland’s putrid 6-13 record since their Christmas day defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, the Cavs still have the ability to challenge the best of teams on a good night. Last night, the The Land powered through their differences and elevated their play.
LeBron brought the full strength of his superhuman abilities and the Cavaliers earned a much needed victory. The contest was a nail-biter and Cleveland needed overtime to conquer the Timberwolves, but on the shoulders of their perennial MVP, the Cavs came away victorious 140-138.
The matchup between the two conference powerhouses was an absolute shootout from end to end. Minnesota combined with the Cavs to produce an NBA-record 40 made three pointers. The two took a mind boggling 74 attempts from beyond the arc and drained an even crazier 54 percent of those shots.
In a game in which their were an NBA season-high 34 lead-changes, neither team dominated the contest. In fact, neither team managed to lead by more than ten points at any given moment. With a blow for blow affair in progress, the Cavalier and Timberwolves set fans up for one of the most exciting finished of the regular season.
Following a huge swat by LeBron James, J.R. Smith corralled the rejected floater and made a heads up move to call for timeout with just 1.0 seconds left in overtime. On the ensuing inbounds play, Jeff Green launched a pinpoint pass to James who caught the ball at the free-throw line and calmly rose up for a turnaround jumper to win the game.
Although the four-time MVP has come under fire for his poor defensive play this season, James responded to his critics with the block of the game in overtime and put an exaltation point on his magnificent performance with the game-winning buzzer-beater.
The King drained the game’s most critical shot, but it was his 37 point triple-double that kept his squad within striking distance. James reeled in 10 boards and finished with 15 dime dropping delights.
While advanced statistics would tell you the Cavs have been better without their unquestioned leader on the floor, the game tape would refute that impractical claim. It certainly hasn’t been his best season from a defensive standpoint, but any person who thinks that Cleveland would be better off without their favorite son would be harebrained fool.
The NBA’s annual trade deadline is tomorrow and many expect the Cavs to ship off more than a few of their assets who’ve failed to mesh with the makeup of the team. Love and James are safe, but the same can’t be said for the recently acquired pairing of Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder.
DeAndre Jordan and George Hill headline the list of players rumored to be on Cleveland’s list of desired pieces and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cavs pull the trigger on a deal to bring both players to town. They need scoring and a defensive presence in the post and that’s exactly what they’ll get from Hill and Jordan.
Some deadline days are quieter than others, but I would hang on to your hats. This could be a crazy day for deals.
