NBA Finals 2015: Breaking Down LeBron James' Game 5 Performance
The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing elimination after the Golden State Warriors handed them their third loss of the 2015 NBA Finals on Sunday night, but with another exquisite performance, LeBron James proved he's the MVP of the series, regardless of the outcome.
On his way to his second triple-double in five games, James finished with 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, joining Jerry West as the only players in NBA Finals history to score 40 points in a triple-double. With six triple-doubles over the course of his NBA Finals career, James is only two behind the great Earvin "Magic" Johnson for the all-time record, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
When it comes to James and Johnson, however, the comparisons go beyond the stat sheet. In Game 5, James once again exhibited the skills that so often compel fans and analysts to mention his name in the same breath as the former Los Angeles Lakers star.
Cavaliers head coach David Blatt went with a small lineup to match up with Golden State and started the 6'8" James at center. But in actuality, James remained in his natural role of point forward.
Like Johnson in his prime, James possesses the uncanny ability to create open looks for teammates because he commands the attention of the defense but has the ball-handling skills of a point guard, despite his atypical frame.
This skill set was on display throughout Cleveland's Game 5 defeat:
On this play, Shaun Livingston leaves Iman Shumpert open in the far corner when James gets the ball, even though Andre Iguodala was already in the vicinity:
This is the type of pressure James' presence puts on opposing defenses.
In the first half, James actually did get help from one of his teammates, J.R. Smith, who scored all of his 14 points in the first two quarters.
But Smith needed James' adroit passing to put him in a position to make those buckets.
On one of Smith's four three-pointers, James found him open on the left wing coming off a Tristan Thompson screen on Livingston.
James got Cleveland's other streaky shooter involved as well.
Late in the first quarter, James was in mid-air by the baseline with Livingston all over him, and he somehow got the ball to Shumpert on the right wing, as the shooting guard proceeded to convert the three.
With the Cavaliers ahead 39-36 in the second quarter, James—standing by the elbow on the near side—passed it across the floor to the far corner, where an open Shumpert awaited what became yet another James assist.
These plays highlight one of the most overlooked aspects of James' game—his vision on the floor.
ESPN's J.A. Adande and Amin Elhassan couldn't help but think of the great Magic Johnson as they watched James in Game 5:
James could have compiled even more assists, but aside from some short hot streaks from Smith and Shumpert, his teammates didn't help much.
Still, he found a way to keep the Cavaliers in the game until late in the fourth quarter.
Per usual, James found a plethora of ways to put the ball in the basket.
He drove to the rim and imposed his will on the likes of Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.
On a couple of occasions, he hit some tough fadeaway jumpers with Iguodala—one of the best on-ball defenders in the league—in his face.
Heck, he even made some threes in the fourth quarter that rivaled those that Stephen Curry drilled to send the Oracle Arena crowd into a state of delirium:
Curry finally had his signature moment with his 17-point fourth quarter on Sunday night, and he deserves every bit of credit he's getting for finally rising to the occasion on the biggest stage.
But the truth is, if James weren't surrounded by this cast of misfits, the Cavaliers—not the Warriors—would be the team on the brink of an NBA championship.
Chew on these numbers from NBA Stats & Info and the NBA on ESPN Twitter account:
Take LeBron James off this Cavaliers team, and this squad would have trouble beating the 2014-15 New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Granted, not many teams can afford to lose their best player, but how many stars have had less to work with than James does right now? And he's single-handedly kept Cleveland in all but one game during these Finals.
It's gotten to the point where professionals are making jokes about an NBA Finals team:
Whatever happens in Game 6, James has done all he can.
Not only is he playing arguably the best basketball of his career, but James just set a record for most career playoff minutes, according to Sports Illustrated. The guy is averaging an otherworldly 45.6 minutes per game in the NBA Finals.
He's the greatest player in the game, and he knows it:
Notice that James said he feels confident because he's the best player in the world, not because his teammates are going to raise their level of play.
For the first time in his career, a LeBron James-led team may come up short of a title and the superstar will be absolved of all blame.
There's going to be no place for the "But Jordan..." argument when this series is over.
Win or lose on Tuesday night, James deserves the Bill Russell MVP Award—just for the mere fact that the Cavs are playing in Game 6 of the Finals.
