LeBron James finally shrugs off the label of clutch time choker
The game-2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls was a closely contested game all the way through. There was no clear favourite up until the last six minutes, when a star emerged from the shadows
of his past and set the court ablaze.
Wednesday night did not belong to the local town hero Derrick Rose and neither to Dwyane Wade. Instead it was the All-Star LeBron James, who finally put a leash on his bashers by showing that he is as clutch as they come.
Up until the third quarter, James was having an average night, having scored 20 points. With the Heat leading, it seemed that his effort would be just enough. But then, the Bulls as they so often do, mounted a comeback and within
no time Taj Gibson slammed the rim to make it 73-all.
With roughly five minutes remaining in the game, and the Bulls carrying all the momentum, James decided that enough is enough, much like he did the game-5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics.
So, James hit a whooshing three-pointer. Big deal, our team can surely bounce back. Or so the United Centre crowd thought.
James went on scoring nine points in the next few minutes and also restricted Rose and Luol Deng by playing some tight defence that left the Bulls with very petite offensive munitions. This enabled the Heat to close the game in
their favour and they jumped back in the third-round by tying the series 1-1.
Earlier James has faced a lot of criticism as he failed to show such fireworks down the stretch for almost whole season. But, the King rose to the occasion when it matters the most. The game-2 heroics were just a start. LeBron
took a similar approach tonight. Throughout the first three quarters, James sat back making assist, opening up plays, making block and scoring occasionally while Chris Bosh did all the damage. Bosh did just enough to set James for a final blow-out.
James started the final frame with a jumper and by the time he finished his night with two free throws, the Bulls were once again left stunned. LeBron erupted with 10 of his 22 points in the final frame and took the game out of
Chicago’s reach.
With a spate of three clutch performances in the last four games, James has finally started to redeem himself from the choker tag that has haunted him for long. This has made James, the best player in the league by an arm’s length,
even more formidable.
With James firing down the clutch now, the heat is really on. Bring on Derrick Rose, bring on Carlos Boozer, bring anybody, there is nobody who can better the King, when he is on fire. The real deal has begun only now.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and has nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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