Smack / May 29, 2009 / 4:56 am

LeBron’s triple-double saves Cleveland

LeBron James (photo. Mannion)

LeBron James (photo. Mannion)

All it took was one five-minute burst — capping a fourth-quarter run that was reminiscent of his breakout postseason performance in Detroit two years ago — and LeBron James reminded everyone why he shouldn’t be counted out just yet. With six minutes left in last night’s conference finals Game 5, the Cavs were down by one and Orlando was being successfully carried by Dwight Howard and LBJ’s new nemesis, Mickael Pietrus. And then LeBron went to work: layup plus-one, jumper, assist to Boobie Gibson for a three, another jumper, another layup plus-one (fouling Dwight out), another jumper, then an assist to Anderson Varejao for a plus-one layup. With one minute showing on the clock, the Cavs were up by 10 and on their way to Game 6 in Orlando … LeBron (37 pts, 14 rebs, 12 asts) scored or assisted on 29 straight Cavs’ points in the fourth quarter. Dime’s Austin Burton wrote before the game that ‘Bron has carried enough of the load and that it was time for his teammates to step up, and they finally came through on Thursday. Mo Williams scored 24 on 6-for-9 shooting beyond the arc, Gibson went 3-for-4 from three, Delonte West went for 13 points, and Big Z had 16 points. LeBron was as diplomatic as possible in his post-game press conference, but made his point clear enough: If you guys just make some shots, we’ll be fine because I can beat anybody in single coverage. Without those extra defenders coming over to help, LBJ was a beast getting to the rack (15-19 FT), and mixed it up with some jumpers as well … The Cavs came out like a team playing to survive, leading by as much as 22 in the first quarter. But Dwight (24 pts, 10 rebs), Hedo (29 pts) and Rashard (15 pts) dominated the second quarter and cut the deficit to just one at halftime, and the teams traded the lead until ‘Bron took over in the fourth … Now the pressure is just as heavy on the Magic as it is on the Cavs. How is that, exactly, when Orlando has the 3-2 series lead? Because they know good and hell well they’re not getting ANY calls come Game 6, meaning they’ll need a near-flawless effort. And going into a Game 7 on the road when you’ve already lost two in a row and the best player on either team plays for the other side, well, that’s no position you want to be in … Thursday’s obligatory almost-fight would have been a gross no-contest: Dwight Howard versus Wally Szczerbiak. Those two got tangled up going for a rebound in the first half, and after the whistle, Wally shoved Dwight in the back and got a tech. Remember when Homer Simpson fought Drederick Tatum? Imagine that, only Homer had Wally’s movie-star hair … Things we learned last night from “NBA Gametime”: Anderson Varejao flopping is so amazing, too … Things we’re still trying to figure out from “NBA Gametime”: What exactly is The Slim Shady LeBron Show? Give Mr. Andre Aldridge credit for that gem … We might have to shoot Ben Roethlisberger straight to the top of the list of active athletes who will undoubtedly gain a quick 150 extra pounds as soon as they retire. The other Big Ben was in the Cleveland crowd for Game 5, and we thought it was The Big Show on first glance … Dime reader JC from SoCal sent us this yesterday: “Please tell me y’all have seen this new beverage craze going around. It’s called the LeBron Bomb (commonly called the “LeBomb James”). It works like this: Order a shot of Crown Royal (for “King James”), drop it into a glass of Sprite like a Jager Bomb (because of his Sprite endorsement deal), and have sugar in your hand ready; approximately 3 packets of Splenda works great. (The sugar represents his pre-game chalk.) Then take the shot and throw the sugar in the air just like LeBron does before tip-off.” We would show you the video JC sent of he and his boys doing LeBron Bombs, but there was a little too much male shirtlessness involved. But if any of you goes out and does a LeBomb James this weekend, please send us your pics/videos to smack@dimemag.com … We’re out like amazing flops …

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  • E. Marcel

    Last night reminded me of the offense of Will Smith’s hs bball team on Fresh Prince, the “pass it to Will” offense. Well, replace Will with Lebron James and you have the Cleveland offense in the 4th quarter against Orlando. How did the Cavs win that game with that joke of an offense?

  • son#1

    crown royal in sprite? a jager bomb is two kinds of alcohol…keep the shots w/ chasers to yourself

  • Giuseppe1075

    Where is K-Dizzle?

    I said Cavs would win by double digits and they did. Cavs win Game 6 by 3, … and win the series. Also, I have a hunch the Lakers will win tonight, write it down.

  • Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball

    @Dagomar, dude stop bein a homer…..sure he got a triple double and you have to give him credit but it was the uglist non turnover triple double ever…The 4th quarter reminded me of high school when you have the lead and the coach just makes you keep screening and passing the ball in a spread offense so you can like milk 3 minutes off the clock. effective? yes…boring as shit? hell yes….also you can’t say lebrons willing his team to win when their losing the series…And even as great as people wanna say HE played last night, he wouldnt of won shit if the guys HES willing didn’t hit their shots. He can pass all he wants but if his teammates aren’t doin anything with the ball, his will means jack crap. Not to mention it was Mo who blew the lead open in the first quarter, not the prince, so they deserve more credit than their getting as much as it bugs me to say that..but who cares, their losing the series still anyway.

    @UncheckedAggression, being rational? how about watching the game…we can name a point in EVERY game so far where lebron has gotten some ghost call at important points of the game. I mean 2 games ago it was dwights block from behind that fouled him out…this game, lebron somehow gets a open lane foul when skip was ALREADY IN THE BACKBCOURT!! so obviously he was already ahead of lebron, therefore it can’t be open lane. But no, the refs give him the shots and the ball…No ones sayin lebron is trash or anything but to ignore that hes gettin crazy calls in his favor, whethr its his fault or just the refs doin junk is still gay. And if you can’t admit to that, you need to just stop watchin the games. You have yet to see orlando gettin calls like that. I mean hell, lebron can dunk it and pose and do all this shit meanwhile dwigt flexes after gettin put in a sleeper hold while scoring and he gets a Tech. Varejo is all over him every play but hes not gettin intentional fouls or flagrants…Let someone jump on lebron like that and see how quick their thrown out the game…

    @E. Marcel , ya for real, all we needed was the 8 foot rim.

  • LakeShow84

    @ DAGOMAR

    Lol good one.. I was just saying your arguing against yourself with the way you man jock Lebron.. let me break u down real fast since we are slow here @ work chump..

    “West and Oscar Robertson say he’s better than Kobe. Lakers fans insist West was just trying to light a fire under Kobe.” – whether he was or he wasnt who gives a fuck.. we all just said WE just hope it lights a fire under Kobe.. nobody really jumped on West for saying that like u said.. i think u just took that and ran to ur mother for ice cream truck money.. dont get too excited.. Magic, JORDAN and Charley Rosen all say Kobe is the best right now.. lol just had to mention Rosen (love that man)

    “Lebron used to get attacked for passing late in the fourth. Then he started scoring as well and hitting clutch shots; that was then regarded as selfish.” – No we said him driving and being INEFFECTIVE when he is driving (cuz the whole world sees it coming) was the problem.. this after his late game gaffes in games 1-4 in which he looked like kindergardener out there playing junior high kids.. dont forget Lebrons “crunch time” game has looked ridiculous sometimes going against a good defensive team.. and if you aint being efficient GET RID OF THE BALL..

    “Lebron sometimes gets criticized for launching too many jumpers. When he drives to the hoop people complain that the refs just hand him foul calls.” – LMAO at this one.. Lebrons jumper is broke.. no one criticizes it, we just laugh at it sometimes lol.. and when he goes to rim?? he DOES get phantom calls.. as great as a game ur boy put up last night dont forget he took NINETEEN, count em, 19 fucking FT’s..

    lol so DAG you shouldnt come up with ur own conclusions.. and you shouldnt argue with urself.. And next time, like i said, to make urself seem competent you should mention Lebrons teammates.. that was the point of the discussion yesterday right??

    Oh my bad they won so today its Lebron talk..

  • LakeShow84

    @ Fallinup..

    Good article doo..

  • QQ

    @ 53:

    Wow, you got one game right and yall starting a business on predicting game scores?

    And isn’t it inevitable that the Cavs show some signs of life and beat us by double digits? I mean, this is the game where they will prove themselves right?

    If you said, ‘I predict the Cavs will win 112-102, and Bron will have a triple double… Specifically, 37, 14 and 12.’ then you can brag.

  • Danny

    I gaurantee you lebron has broken the playoff record for most ft attempts in 5 games. I guarantee you.

  • Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball

    I love how homers get all mad when people point out OBVIOUS flaws in their fav players like their perfect..As good as lebron is, his jumper is still broke, he still passes too much in the crunch, still isn’t a great ft shooter, and i’m sorry, but one buzzer beater doesn’t make you clutch…does me saying that make me a hater? no, it makes me aware that no matter how good people say he is, he still has weaknesess. Hell even jordan had weaknesses in his game for alil (his 3 pointer for instance)> ya’ll get mad the second anyone says anything bad about lebron like he is jesus in nikes or something. Lebron does jack mad shots (which is why i said months ago they’d lose the series) and yes he does get phantom calls…both are tru, doesnt really take a scientist to see that.

  • http://www.myspace.com/beenobrown BERN BROGDEN aka BINO BROWN STR8 UP N DOWN

    @59 – Aint no flaw in his BLOW BY ABILITY and HIS VISION.

    It’s BEYOND media hype now.
    It’s BEYOND a Stern Commissioned Officiating Conspiracy.
    It’s BEYOND all that.

    It’s seein’ YOUNG GREATNESS.

    I’m TALKING DIRECTLY TO HATERS.

  • K Dizzle

    @ Giuseppe – sorry I’m late but my wireless was actin up. HP is shit, shoulda got the macbook. Anyways , congrats on your prediction. I ain’t mad cuz you got the Lakeshow gettin it in tonight.

    @ Lakeshow – just so you know, Lamar might not show up….just preparin you.

    @ post 47 & 48 – I think it’s the perfect 2 posts for how we all feel about this series. One guy says the game was amazin, the other says it was boring. No hate here, but that game end was BORING AS SHIT and I hardly ever agree with Bron42, but this was grade school. I watched the 4th quarter this morning on NBAtv and checked up on the play by play on espn and can’t nobody tell me that was an excitin game.
    It read like this : Mo hits a 3 and you think Cavs on their way, but they only up one(lovin how Cavs fans haven’t once said shit about them bein up 23 at home and gettin gangsta’d by the half, but anyways) then it’s like Bron misses jumper, bron misses other jumper, delonte misses layup, Bron shoots free throws for some touch foul, Bron misses more jumpers, jumps into dwight(whistle), jumps into Pietrus(whistle), Z misses, Varejoa misses dunk, Bron boards, jumps into (insert dude in blue jersey here) whistle, gibson hits two 3s, Bron shoots free throws, hits a jumper, game…
    If that’s your idea of excitin ball, then we just gonna agree to disagree. cavs won, but they were at home in an elimination game so they were supposed to win. Rafer and Lew won’t have 2 bad games in a row and Hedo and Dwight been money, but Pietrus gonna give the deathblow. Good win, not great win by Cavs, but when they leave Orlando, it’ll be as spectators to the rest of the playoffs.
    Questions?

  • the cynic

    The clear path foul on Rafer was probably the worst call of the playoffs

  • Giuseppe1075

    Cavs have not played a complete, good game yet. Look for it to happen soon (Game 6).

    Prediction: Howard will get in foul trouble. Lew will have a good game, Hedo and Rafer will have bad games.

    Game last night was boring … unless you enjoy the fact that LeBron factored in on 32 of the 33 points in the 4th.

  • UncheckedAggression

    Guys–look up what the definition of a clear path foul is in the NBA. It doesn’t state that there can’t be a player in front. It says that there can’t be a player in front of the offensive player that has a chance at contesting the shot. Lebron was fouled because the defensive player had no chance of defending. If you go to the league and show that video to Stu Jackson (or anyone), they will tell you that it was a clear path foul.

    You guys are fucking morons. It’s funny to see how much you harp on things that are completely untrue.

  • Danny

    ey unchecked agression, you have never played ball in your life if you think that was a clear path foul. Doesn’t matter if he wrapped his ass up, lebron was not on a “clear path” to the rim.

  • http://www.myspace.com/beenobrown BERN BROGDEN aka BINO BROWN STR8 UP N DOWN

    “Clear Path to the Basket: If a fast break starts in a team’s backcourt and a defender fouls any offensive player when the team is going to score an easy basket, a clear path foul has occurred. When the foul happens, no defender can be ahead of the ball where he could defend against the easy basket.”

    SOURCE : NBA.COM
    URL:
    http://www.nba.com/features/misunderstoodrules_051128.html

  • Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball

    @UncheckedAggression, moron, read the posted definition yourself. ” When the foul happens, no defender can be ahead of the ball where he could defend against the easy basket.”” The simple fact that rafer was infront of lebron to the basket, therefore someone was back to defend him. Skip was ahead of the ball, therefore he could defend against the easy basket. Do any of us think rafer would of bodied lebron and stopped him? no but based on the rule he still counts as a defender who could contest lebrons shot or at least slow him down for a second. So it wasn’t a clear path foul since skip being there, means there was no clear path. Its not like skip was behind him and grabbed him, or pushed up after he beat him, skip fouled him the second he took a step after turning over the ball.

    Personaly, i think the way they ended the last quarter actually goes against lebrons greatness. Lets say the cavs come back in win the series doin that, it shows more that lebron has legit teammates than it does show how great he is…cuz plain and simple, lebron has been maxed out this whole series and still losing games…It wasn’t until his teammates played their parts that he actually won a game (i’m not counting the fluke 3 in game 2). So lebrons greatness alone doesn’t cut it. When hes out there alone ruling everything, hes not winning. I mean what did last night prove? that in a game of one on one lebron would beat peitrus? we all knew that. Its not like lebron was shutting the magic down on defense, they merely dragged out the help defense and played one on one.

  • the cynic

    so basically what you guys are saying is if that was Big Z instead Lebron James it wouldn’t have been a clear path foul?

    I really don’t care either way, so please don’t waste your time insulting me

  • http://www.drewleague.com JC

    http://www.lebronbomb.com/

    My boys seem to enjoy this festive drink deal… though the triple double part seems like a funny/horrible side consequence.

  • doc

    Down wit the King!!!!!So Amazing so amazing .Stop hating fellas he put in work who gives a fuck if it was boring to YALL. Youngboy put up 37,14,12.Im never disrespecting a statline like that.I wish I could do that in a so called boring way just like the rest of yall.Cut it the fuck out fellas.Just say good game yall gonna lose the next one and keep it moving.So Amazing so amazing!

  • doc

    Not u dk,u a lost soul already bro.It wouldnt be right no other way without u calling Lebron garbage.Are u and Knock Knock the same people?

  • UncheckedAggression

    “no defender can be ahead of the ball where he could defend against the easy basket.”

    What are you guys so confused about?

  • LakeShow84

    LOL @ Unchecked Aggression

    So your basically saying the ref made a judgement call by guessing that Raefer had no chance at stopping Lebron and thats why they were awarded that call?? Lol in that case if i was Raefer Alston i would be PISSED.. what he would have no chance of stripping Lebron on the way up??

    Someone seems to be in Love with the idea that Lebron is truly unstoppable..

    and we’re the morons here..

  • Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball

    I thought only kobes unstoppable was truly unstoppable…

    “UncheckedAggression says:

    “no defender can be ahead of the ball where he could defend against the easy basket.”

    What are you guys so confused about?”

    obviously ur the confused one since skip aka “A DEFENDER” was ahead of the ball and lebron considering he was almost at half court when he turned it over and lebron picked it off at the magic 3point line. In order to get a open lane, he would of had to be past skip, which he wasn’t. So its not a open lane by your own copied statement. case and point, take dudes balls out your mouth.

    @doc, i got no problem wit dudes state line…but dick riders who act like dude does nothing wrong or doesn’t ever get calls in his favor need to cut it out…You can be a fan of a guy without being a dumbass and bein completely oblivious to things he does wrong and shit like that. Theres fans of players, and then theres fans of basketball..big difference.

  • Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball

    p.s: doc, how u gonna say that shit wasn’t boring…that was like playin a game of mortal kombat and the dude just doin the same move over and over…completely killed the game for me lol we all kno peitrus isn’t takin him one on one…specially wit dwight fouled out.

  • UncheckedAggression

    Bron42, I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m glad they have intelligent people interpreting the rules in the league.

    For the record, I’m just pointing out how ridiculous you guys sound when you focus on a single call each game and use it as an example of Lebron getting all the calls. There were plenty of bad calls going both ways, but that is because it ain’t easy to ref in the NBA.

    The Cavs have no business winning this series. The Magic have the upper hand in nearly every matchup. Bron will have to continue to play out of his mind to win the series. But I still think the Magic need to play it safe and do everything they can to win this next game.

  • Bron42 aka Had Springs Before Slamball

    dude you dont need to tell me anything…you said read the rule and the EXACT RULE states opposite of what happened. and dont cop out with that “intelligent people interpreting the rules in the league” crap like refs don’t screw up…dwight got a tech for something Zo and shaq did their whole careers and lebron does 24/7. sO let ur intelligent people suck on that one.

    for the record, we were giving examples about how lebron gets a ton of calls that aren’t there. And on top of that he gets them in crunch moments…You say they go both ways? name a few that went in the magics way that they didn’t deserve? Hell I’m just waitin for Big Z to suddenly catch a larry johnson 4 point play the way their calling stuff so far. You don’t see lebron gettin bs calls goin against him in the magics favor..

    And to ice the cake…just like last year…i love how before a series starts, everyones all “omg the lakers are soooo much better than the celtics, the celtics are old” and once the lakers start gettin smacked its “o well no one expected the lakers to win.” now its the same shit with lebron…go back a few weeks before the series started and see how many people were saying the cavs would sweep the magic (and arguing with me when i said they wouldnt) on some “dwight can’t finish games, or shoot foul shots…lebron will shut everyone down etc..” and now that the cavs are losing its suddenly “o well the cavs have no business winning” “lebrons teammates suck(they suddenly suck now but you all acted like they were nice against the hawks and pistons)” “the magic obviously have the better team” the fact that ya’ll flip flop so much just show how lil basketball knowledge you actually have.

  • the cynic

    @ unchecked agression

    i didn’t bring it up because i was trying to discredit lebron; I brought it up because it was a blantantly bad call that should have been easy to make unlike the difficult to call hard drives lebron frequently takes. It was a pure home cooking kind of call. I actually thought it was the second straight game in the ECF that was reffed reasonablely well

  • LakeShow84

    Shit i expected us to win last year..

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