Another series on the brink of dying prematurely has just been nursed back to health.
Unsurprisingly, the man largely responsible was Paul George, who managed 37 points and six steals, with more pickpocketing going on than when a group of narcoleptics take a night train through Italy.
George was simply fantastic. His steals and finishes at the other end ignited the crowd and lifted his teammates. He barraged Miami with pull up threes and contested turnaround twos (and even threw in a contested, turnaround, buzzer-beating three for good measure) several of which had levels of difficulty usually reserved for circuses.
Don’t try this at home kids, you’re watching a highly trained professional.
Lance made an absolute nuisance of himself all night, you’ll be surprised to learn. His headline acts included inviting himself into a Miami huddle, and blowing in LeBron’s ear.
In related news, Stephenson will enter the dunk contest next year and attempt a variation of Gerald Green’s cupcake dunk. Rather than blowing out a cupcake, Stephenson will soar into the air and blow into LeBron’s ear before dunking.
Enjoy watching this man play before someone chokes him. There are red cordial-fuelled five-year-olds who are less irritating. Lance also made legitimately good (and still equally irritating) basketball plays, namely, stealing the ball from Lebron and handing him his firth foul, all within one crisp sequence.
Speaking of LeBron, he finished with a career playoff low seven points, on 2-10 shooting in 24 minutes as foul trouble, much like Stephenson, plagued him all night.
Meanwhile, Rashad Lewis is back from the dead, at least momentarily. Lewis hit 6-9 triples for 18 points, including a clutch corner three which game Miami a real chance to win the game.
The contest finished in an all out long range shootout, featuring contributions from Dwayne Wade, LeBron, Lewis, multiple George bombs, a Chris Bosh banker, and a botched Bosh would-be game winner from the the corner.
I’ll let Mark Jackson break down the final play. Thanks to Jesse Stevens for bringing this fine piece of Mark Jackson handy work to my attention by sending me this:
Mark Jackson before Miami’s final possession: “Hibbert shouldn’t be in the game, protecting the basket in this situation is overrated.”
Mark Jackson after Miami’s final possession: “Exactly what we spoke about – rim protection forcing a contested three ”
I’m not sure what the head of ESPN said when he heard that, but safe to say it was something along these lines:
While Indy are toast if they lose Game 6, Miami may be up against it themselves if they can’t get the job done in 48 hours’ time.
Dropping a second straight game to the Pacers and then heading back to Indy for Game 7 is just asking for trouble, and Lance Stephenson will be more than happy to provide it.
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
The only realistic threat to Boston’s chances of strolling through the Eastern Conference is a team that could still end up in the play-in…
Australian guards Dante Exum and Josh Giddey have both come up big for their NBA clubs in crucial wins in the lead-in to the…
Minnesota Timberwolves fans have endured plenty of pain in their 35 years of being a laughing stock in the NBA. In all that time,…
