It was fun while it lasted, a sweet dream while it lasted, visions of LeBron James, his face a mask of worry and concern, walking out of Barclays Center a Game 4 loser, his Kingdom at risk, the Brooklyn roar reverberating inside his ears on the flight back to Miami.
It was fun while it lasted, a battle-hardened old challenger standing up to the two-time defending champs, announcing for all to hear that there was no fear in Brooklyn.
It was fun while it lasted, the graybeards brought to Brooklyn believing they could strip King James of his aura of invincibility, certain they knew exactly what it took to tug on Superman’s cape and turn him into Clark Kent.
The Nets wanted the Heat, remember, and Monday night, they sure got them.
Paul Pierce wanted LeBron James, remember, and Monday night, he sure got him.
He got King James, King of the NBA jungle.
He got The Lion King.
He got LeBronster, the 102-96 winner.
Who did whatever he wanted to do, whenever he wanted to do it, except ask Beyonce for a dance when he schmoozed briefly with Jay Z.
Who showed up with a ferocious, sneering game face, his Beast Mode fury and fire raging across 48 minutes.
It was 11:25 p.m. when Pierce emerged from a back room and faced the music.
“You can’t allow a player like that to constantly be in the paint all night,” Pierce said. “He just really forced his way to the hole, and we didn’t get in his way and he got a lot of layups.”
You could see it in his eyes. LeBron had 25 points by halftime, 40 after three quarters, 49 overall, tying his playoff high, denied 50 only by a solitary free-throw miss at the end of the game.
“That’s the first time I’ve been disappointed in myself in a win,” LeBron said, and smiled.
Someone asked him if he felt the need to take over the game and he said: “I felt the need that we needed to win this game. So whatever I needed to do to help us win, then it needed to be done.”
The lesson: When you threaten King James and his minions, when you test their championship heart and mettle, just be careful what you wish for.
“It really took away a lot of my aggressiveness in the first quarter when I picked up two fouls,” Pierce said.
And now, now that this has been exposed as little more than a pipe dream, you can expect LeBron to unleash the kind of legendary killer instinct that Michael and Kobe would recognize come Game 5Wednesday night.
And when Chris Bosh buried a corner 3 with 57.3 seconds left on a defensive miscommunication, the Nets, who had hung tough by winning the second-chance points battle, could not recover.
You live by the 3, you die by the 3, and Monday night the Nets (5-of-22) died by the 3.
And by the indomitable will of the threeHeat leader.
“He stepped up when his team needed him,” Pierce said.
He was Jim Brown rampaging to the hoop.
“It’s a tough position to be in when you’re backpedaling against him, and he’s coming at you full speed,” Deron Williams said. “There’s not much you can do but wrap him up.”
LeBron was in attack mode from start to finish, as if Pierce had stolen his Johnny Manziel jersey.
“He put his head down,” Shaun Livingston said. “He’s one of the strongest guys in the league once he gets going. He’s a bull, everybody knows it, once he gets going, we got to send multiple guys over there.”
Even with five fouls with 2:30 left, LeBron locked down Joe Johnson twice in the final desperate minute, after rejecting an offer to sit from Erik Spoelstra.
“What I told him I cannot say again,” LeBron said, and smiled.
And left Brooklyn LeBroken.