LeBron James Presents “The Headband Game”

In the aftermath of last night’s INCREDIBLE Game 6, longtime Dime writer Austin Burton tweeted something that made too much sense: “Just because LeBron isn’t the most clutch player in history doesn’t mean he’s not clutch at all. Pretty simple.” Yep, that says it all. While most will forever refer to last night as the “Headband Game,” James summed it up by saying, “That was by far the best game I’ve ever been a part of.”

In 12 career elimination games, LeBron is now averaging 31.5 points, the highest in NBA history. He had 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 dimes, and scored 18 points in the fourth quarter. Many of them came after he lost his headband, causing Twitter to explode while the Spurs confused him with Danny Glover. He made a huge three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation, which made up for a few late turnovers. He also defended Tony Parker in the overtime period, forcing him to miss all four of his shots on the way to a 6-for-23 shooting night.

Twenty years from now, we’ll know the historical context of Game 6 and what it meant for LeBron’s legacy… beyond just the headband. At the moment, it’s still an unknown. If Miami blows Game 7 at home, LeBron’s “Headband Game” will dance to a different tune. But if the Heat win? This might someday go down as his finest moment.

Where does this rank among his greatest playoff games ever?

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