About the only time LeBron James wasn’t terrorizing the Nets Monday night at Barclays Center was when he was chatting with Jay Z and Beyonce during a dead ball or free throw.
Perhaps James was trying to get some inside info on the news about Jay Z being attacked in an elevator by his sister-in-law, Solange, or trying to score tickets to their next concert.
Whenever James wasn’t talking with the Nets’ resident celebrities, he was doing his best to single-handedly ruin any chance Brooklyn had of making this best-of-seven series competitive. Yes, the world knows James in the best basketball player on the planet. But every now and then he doesn’t mind reminding us why.
The four-time MVP poured through 49 points to tie a career playoff high and carry the Heat to a 102-96 victory, giving Miami a commanding 3-1 lead heading into Game 5 Wednesday in Florida.
“He was fantastic tonight,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “It wasn’t anything we talked about. He just has a way of sensing what we need.”
The Heat didn’t need the final free throw he missed with 1.1 seconds remaining that would have given him an even 50 points.
“That’s the first time I’ve been disappointed in myself in a win,” he said.
There was little else to complain about. In “attack mode” from the outset, James had 25 points at halftime, 40 at the end of three quarters and was central to the Heat being able to hold off the Nets late. He did not score a field goal in the final 2:50 after hitting a twisting layup to give the Heat a 94-92 lead. But he made key passes when the Nets double-teamed him late, including the outlet that led to Chris Bosh nailing a critical 3-pointer to put Miami ahead 97-94 with 57.3 seconds to play.
“It’s a basketball play that he just feels and he [passed] it without thinking about the consequences,” Spoelstra said. “That’s what makes him unique.”
Be careful what you wish for, Paul Pierce. Perhaps it was all the fuss made about Pierce asking to guard James before Brooklyn’s win in Game 3 that had James all fired up. Or maybe it was just the urgency of not wanting to return to Miami with the series even at 2-2. Whatever the reason James clearly meant business Monday night. He made 16-of-24 from the field and 14-of-19 from the free-throw line. He also had three steals.
“He puts so much pressure on the defense and obviously he led us to this win,” Dwyane Wade said. “All everyone else had to do was chip in, hit timely shots, do timely things when he is going that way.”
When Pierce tried to guard him, James seemed even more determined to prove he couldn’t be contained, displaying his full arsenal of offensive weaponry.
With 3:07 left in the second quarter, James slammed down a thunderous dunk off a pass from Wade. A few minutes later, he buried a difficult turn-around jumper from the corner over Pierce to give Miami a 51-46 lead. He then orchestrated a fast break that ended with a dunk by Bosh to make it 53-46.
Despite James’ dominance, the Nets kept fighting. They stayed patient; avoided frustration and stuck with their game plan of ball movement, team defense and minimizing mistakes. The fourth quarter was a duel with the score tied 94-all with less than two minutes to play. The Nets began to double James to force the ball out of his hands. But he made the outlet pass that wound up in Bosh’s hands for his 3-pointer and later made another pass to get Ray Allen the ball. That quickly led to two crucial free throws.
“It’s a numbers game,” James said. “You make the right play and you live with it.”
Now the numbers have James and the Heat one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.