LeBron James, Cavs Making Hero Ball Work and Other Friday Takeaways

Heading into the season, if there was an NBA team that was supposed to buck the anti-hero-ball trend that's swept the NBA in recent years, replaced by ball-sharing systems that seek out the best possible look, it wasn't going to be the Cleveland Cavaliers. Certainly not after they hired David Blatt straight out of Europe, expecting to implement his movement-heavy offensive genius. 

But on Friday night, the Cavs turned to their heroes once more in a nail-biting 95-92 victory over the surging Indiana Pacers. 

We've seen this before, with Kyrie Irving exploding for 57 points in a come-from-behind overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs. That night, the point guard put Cleveland on his back with one contested jumper after another. Other games, Irving and the other members of the Big Three have gone into isolation sets with impressive results. 

This time, it was LeBron James' time to shine, announcing to the world that he can't be forgotten about as the world focuses on the exploits of Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The fourth quarter, as has so often been the case in the past, belonged to the four-time MVP. 

Through the first 36 minutes of this close contest, James had recorded 16 points (on 7-of-15 shooting from the field), five rebounds and four assists. But in the fourth quarter alone, he posted 13 points, two boards and a final dime, taking 11 shots and drilling six of them. 

Down the stretch, he just caught fire. 

With 5:41 remaining and the Cavaliers down by a single point, James walked out of a Cleveland timeout and took over the game.

First, an eight-foot jumper with 5:31 left on the clock. Then a triple ripped through the twine to retake the lead after a pair of converted Roy Hibbert free throws. After the game was tied, this time via a Hibbert jumper from 20 feet, James drilled another mid-range jumper to put Cleveland in front. 

And it didn't stop there. The highlight—if we can only pick one—was this next shot: 

That ridiculously athletic scoop layup broke yet another tie, but it wouldn't be the last time the Cavs took the lead, relying on James going to work in isolation and playing the part of hero. It was just the most special moment. USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt was clearly impressed by LeBron's performance:

This certainly wasn't a performance on par with Michael Jordan's infamous flu game, but doesn't it make it even more impressive that the Cleveland star was questionable heading into the night as he dealt with a cold? With that perspective, his ability to make that play and keep going, hardly coming off for air all the while, is all the more special. 

After all, he then responded to a three from C.J. Miles, one earned on a perfectly run pin-down screen from the right wing, with another mid-range bucket. Cleveland wouldn't ever relinquish that lead. 

Let's take a deep breath.

James did a lot in that fourth quarter, and it's understandable if you're gasping for air just trying to keep up. As a quick summation, he was immaculate for the span of a few minutes, submitting an MVP-worthy stretch that helped his team clinch a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, an achievement noted by Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: 

"

The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched a playoff spot.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) March 21, 2015"

So, is this what we're going to keep seeing from the Cavaliers? 

It's becoming a trend for them to run one isolation set after another in the fourth quarter of tight games, eschewing complicated schemes—and sometimes passing in general—so they can take advantage of their talent advantage. And it makes sense, as they have two of the most unstoppable one-on-one players in the Association, guys who are capable of taking over games when they're really feeling it. 

Heading into this victory, the Cavs had run isolation plays on 11.8 percent of their possessions. Per NBA.com's databases, that's rather easily the top mark in the league, 1.4 percent above the New Orleans Pelicans. More impressive still, Cleveland is scoring 0.92 points per possession in those iso settings, trailing just the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Why would that change in the fourth quarter? After all, Blatt is just relying on what's functioned as his team's biggest skill. 

It's been Irving's night in the past. Today, it was James' turn to shine. 

And with options like those, there's no reason to do anything else when it matters most. 

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION

Make It 9

Layne Murdoch/Getty Images

At this point, Russell Westbrook couldn't stop putting up triple-doubles if he tried. 

Ruining a career night from Pero Antic (22 points off the Atlanta Hawks bench), the point guard almost single-handedly took down his opponent with a performance in which he was almost constantly on the attack. 

Worried about his six turnovers in the 123-115 victory over the top team in the Eastern Conference? You shouldn't be, because he had 14 assists and 10 rebounds to go along with those cough-ups. Shaking your head at his 8-of-24 shooting performance from the field? Don't, because he got to the charity stripe 17 times and made every attempt. 

Layne Murdoch Jr./Getty Images

This game was a fantastic example of why field-goal percentage can be so misleading. Normally, Westbrook's 33.3 percent shooting would be horrific, but he still managed to explode for 36 points on just 24 attempts. 

Sorry, I shouldn't say explode anymore. Not when he was averaging 35 big ones over his last 10 appearances before this latest collection of highlights. 

And the MVP case grows stronger still as the Oklahoma City Thunder remain in the driver's seat in the race for the No. 8 seed. 

Chris Paul Wins Battle of Marquee Point Guards

Normally, John Wall would have been the star of the night. 

After all, he dropped 19 points, six rebounds and 10 assists in a marquee matchup with Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers, even showing off with a 360-degree layup to avoid a charge that left Matt Barnes massively confused: 

But Wall wasn't even the best point guard on the court in the Washington Wizards' 113-99 loss to LAC. That title belonged to Chris Paul, who thrived in the marquee matchup, recording 30 points, six boards and 15 dimes while turning the ball over once and shooting 12-of-21 from the field. 

How rare is that line? Before Friday night, Westbrook was the only one to match those counting stats during the 2014-15 season, per Basketball-Reference.com. And in that game, the OKC point guard turned the rock over nine times. 

Since 1985-86, only five players have gone for 30-6-15 without coughing up the ball over more than once: 

• Deron Williams in 2009
• Chris Paul in 2009
• Dwyane Wade in 2009
• Nate Robinson in 2009
• Baron Davis in 2007

Sorry, Wall.

You can spin all you want, but you didn't do something that hasn't been achieved in the last five seasons. 

Some Eastern Conference Clarity

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

As Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick pointed out, the night's action helped solidify one team's spot in the Eastern Conference standings: 

Both the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers entered the night at 30-37, but each squad came out on the wrong side heading into the weekend. So with the Miami Heat beating the Denver Nuggets 108-91, led by a big night from the recently acquired Goran Dragic, last year's conference representatives finally have some breathing room. 

There's still plenty of time for this to change, especially with the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets also within sniffing distance of a playoff spot, but Miami deserves to sit back and relax.

Until its next game, at least.

Hey There, Elfrid

Willie J. Allen/Associated Press

Is it too late for Elfrid Payton to stick his nose—and his chia-pet hair—into the race for Rookie of the Year? He's channeled his inner Russell Westbrook in March, now recording back-to-back triple-doubles after a sensational performance against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

In the Orlando Magic's 111-104 victory on Friday night, the rookie point guard exploded for 22 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. Quite frankly, he couldn't have picked a better way to back up his 15 points, 10 boards and 12 dimes two days earlier against the Dallas Mavericks.

Except this performance was so much better. 

Not only did it come in a victory rather than a loss, but Payton recorded only a single turnover and put together a sensational 10-of-13 shooting night from the field. So, how many players since 1985-86 have recorded a trip-dub, made over 75 percent of their shots and turned the ball over only once? 

According to Basketball-Reference.com, just four: Larry Nance, Bo Outlaw, Serge Ibaka and now Payton.  

Payton Not the Only Rookie Shining

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

If you completely skipped over the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks battling it out in the basement of the Eastern Conference, I can't blame you. But that would have prevented you from seeing Nerlens Noel's latest studly performance, as he too is coming after Andrew Wiggins' supposed stranglehold on ROY.

Heading into Philly's 16-point victory, Noel was averaging 12.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.9 blocks per game in March, showing far more offensive confidence while continuing to thrive on the less glamorous end. He topped nearly every one of those marks against the hapless Knicks, wreaking havoc on both ends with his 23 points, 14 boards, one assist, five steals and three blocks.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey and Liberty Ballers' Derek Bodner added to the conversation regarding Nerlens' performance: 

Twitter was filled with beat writers giving praise to the flat-topped big man, as these sentiments from Derek Bodner and Keith Pompey were only a small sample. And it was admittedly hard not to be impressed with plays like these:  

Noel's lines honestly don't do justice to the impact he's having on games right now. He's become a truly fearsome presence in the paint and the passing lanes, and his offensive output is just gravy. 

Thing is, it's becoming increasingly delicious gravy. 

And a 3rd Rookie Stepping Up

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Nikola Mirotic may only have a slight chance at the award given out to first-year players any longer, but that's not going to stop him from helping out the Chicago Bulls. And that's exactly what he did in his team's 108-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors. 

Coming off the bench, Mirotic shot his way to 29 points, but he also added 11 rebounds and four blocks to his line. Why, you may ask, is this notable when we've seen so many other performances like that from players around the league? 

Not only did he tie his career high in the scoring column, which was originally set on March 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers, but he also recorded double-digit boards for the seventh time in his career and submitted his second-best shot-blocking performance. TSN.ca's Josh Lewenberg shared some of Mirotic's stats:

It wasn't a historic performance, but it's quite noteworthy that Mirotic had such a strong game in a battle between fringe Eastern contenders, especially given the recent tear that TSN's Josh Lewenberg details. 

Milwaukee and Brooklyn Have a Love Affair

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Seriously. Can't these guys get enough of each other? 

The first time the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets met, all the way back on Nov. 19, the two teams needed to play three overtime periods before the Bucks emerged with a four-point victory. The next contest was a normal one—it was actually decided in regulation. 

But this Friday, Milwaukee and Brooklyn played the third leg of their season series and needed another triple-overtime affair to settle the score. Brooklyn ultimately earned a 129-127 victory in which three players—Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Thaddeus Young—spent over 50 minutes on the floor, but that means these two Eastern squads have somehow played an extra six periods in only three meetings.

They're averaging double overtime!

Marcus Smart Gets Ejected

Don't do this, Marcus Smart. 

Seriously, just don't. 

The Boston Celtics rookie point guard has kept his head screwed on straight for most of the season, working to rebuild his image after his shove of a fan last year while with Oklahoma State. But this isn't exactly going to help his reputation. 

Too many more of these, and Adam Silver may require Smart to legally change his last name. 

A Derrick Williams Highlight

Derrick Williams might never live up to his lofty draft position, but he's still capable of producing a monstrous highlight every once in a while. One came in the Sacramento Kings' 101-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets: 

Poor Bismack Biyombo. It'll be a while before he recovers from that one. 

On a night that saw Rudy Gay score 33 points—his seventh consecutive performance above 20—it was still Williams who stole the show with a single play.