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LeBron James’ Historical Stat Line Pushes Bulls To Brink: 5 Takeaways

By Nick Dudukovich

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LeBron James‘ historical effort in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals showed the four-time MVPs maturity as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If you’ll recall, the last time James played a Game 5 in the Eastern semis for the Cavs, things didn’t go so well. You, me and every Cavs fan on the planet accused James of quitting. However, that’s who LeBron James was back in 2010. Now we’re seeing who he’s become.

It may have taken James “going away to college” in Miami, but he learned how to win on south beach. That was never more evident than Tuesday night, when James elevated a hobbled Cavs team past the Bulls with 38 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 0 turnovers. That line’s never been recorded in the history of the NBA.

Hope you enjoyed it Cavs fans, because that LeBronian effort guaranteed the Wine & Gold at least one more home game this season.

Time for the takeaways…

1) James knew he needed to be more efficient. The Bulls got off to that 8-0 lead, and at one point led 16-6.  That didn’t force James into bad habits though, as his first half shot selection would show.

Here’s the run down from the first half: layup off post-up, free throws off post-up, fast-break dunk, fadeaway off post-up, fadeaway off post-up, fadeaway off post-up, 12-footer from the top of the key with fancy footwork, reverse layup, fast-break layup, layup, layup out of the post.

Or use this visual:

The results…10-of-12 shooting in the first half, and the Cavs take a 10-point lead into the locker room.

James didn’t jack up shots after endless seconds of dribbling, either. If you’ll notice in my rundown, he was in the post, A LOT. Not many humans on earth can guard him when he gets down on the block, and James showed that in the first half last night.

May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrates a three-point basket in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

In the second half, James wasn’t as efficient, but his effort in the first two quarters set the tone for the entire game.

Another historical footnote: James joined Shaquille O’Neal (2000) and Larry Bird (1986) as the only players with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and zero turnovers in a playoff game since 1977-78.

2. Kyrie Irving looked like Kyrie Irving. You know those interviews that coaches do in-between timeouts or quarters? Usually a huge waste of time, right? This time, however, I thought one of those clips had some major value.

It’s when Rachel Nichols asked David Blatt about Kyrie Irving’s big-time performance. Blatt used a bunch of coach speak praising his player, but then he just said that Irving’s foot and knee tendinitis was feeling “a little bit better.”

Everyone has their own threshold for pain, but a little bit must be a lot for Irving, who looked like a different player from the past few games.

He drove to the hoop with reckless abandon and his jumper was much better, as he shot 9-of-16 for 25 points and compiled five turnovers against three assists.

Irving said playing through the injury has been “the biggest mental challenge” of his NBA career. The former No. 1 overall pick has been labeled as a guy prone to injury, but he’s showing his detractors that he has a lot of grit by staying on the court in the playoffs.

3. The Bulls go ice cold. This may get over looked, but the Bulls inability to make shot for long stretches is a big reason the Cavs now have a 3-2 series lead.

Chicago shot 4-of-22 in the second quarter. Four field goals! It’s hard to win anything if a team can’t make shots. Just look at the Bulls’ best player, Derrick Rose. He opened the game 5-of-7, but finished 7-of-24. A stinger in his wrist acted up and obviously affected his ability to be his usual productive self.

4. Tristan Thompson deserves every penny he gets this offseason. The rebound battle belonged to the Cavs again, who edged the Bulls 41-40. Thompson had 10 more boards, in addition to 12 points. The Cavs have out-rebounded the Bulls in every game this series.

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Even up to Game 5, I had serious reservations about paying a guy who doesn’t contribute that much offensively major money. But now, I’ve figured out how to get comfortable with paying TT. Write him a check, and don’t pay attention to him until the playoffs. Who cares what he does during the regular season? His ability to create extra possessions is invaluable–and it’s most noticeable when the spotlight is at its brightest.

5. Matthew Dellavedova is the player we’d all love to hate if he played for another team. He’s gritty, plays hard all the time and makes other guys mad–just ask Taj Gibson.

Delly has a way of getting under other player’s skin because he’s so relentless and he cracked Gibson last night. Remember, even Kyrie shoved Delly during training camp.

His altercation with Gibson sparked the Cavs to a 90-73 lead. The Bulls fought back to made it close, before the Cavs gained their composure to close out the contest.

What stood out to you in Game 5?

Next: FoS Talk: Will Browns Regret Not Drafting Offensive Playmakers?

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