When LeBron James is this good, you really do wonder if there is any parity at all in the NBA, as he didn’t even need Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, instead getting a bit of scoring help from Norris Cole and Ray Allen, but not too much, as the Miami Heat continued their late-season cruise towards securing home courtĀ advantageĀ all through the playoffs.
There’s not really a question about the East with a 10 game lead over the second spot, but the West does pose a problem as well, if the Heat reach the finals. Still, Miami have a four game advantage over both the Spurs and the Thunder, inching closer towards clinching the top overall record after a 94-83 win.
LeBron James needed only 30 minutes on the floor to finish with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in another impressive shooting night, making 11-16 attempts from the field. The Heat missed 15 consecutive three pointers (finishing with 8-35) and still managed to win by double digits, mostly thanks to the third quarter, in which they allowed only 13 points from the Milwaukee Bucks, while LeBron leads the way with 9 points.
He (who else) was also in charge of the most memorable moment of the game, as he led a fast break which Monta Ellis did all he could toĀ disruptĀ denying the pass to the open man while James had already taken off to their. Instead, he simply bounced the ball off the backboard and continued his elevation by grabbing his own rebounds and scoring with an impressive dunk.
While both teamsĀ deniedĀ it, there’s no getting around the fact that the two teams are destined to meet in the first round of the NBA playoffs for at least four games. The Bucks tried various defensive looks on James, none of them working, but said after the game they were treating it like any other normal match-up, while the Heat were resting two of their big three, still nursing knee and injury problems.
A good thing the Heat did was trap and focus on Monta Ellis, who turned the ball over 6 times, finishing with only 8 points and 3-8 from the field, hardly even getting a chance to get good looks at the basket. The presence of Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers might not make for the most offensively pleasing on the eyes point guard duo, but they can certainly make life quite unbearable for players on the other end of the floor.
Image: Source