NBA Finals 2014: How The Spurs Defended LeBron James’ 3rd Quarter Frenzy

In made field goal No. 5, LeBron James has a new defender. This time, the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili finds himself guarding the King. And against a smaller, quicker defender, LeBron knows that he’s going to have to create space a different way than he would against a defender like Diaw. He adjusts.

LeBron elects to pretend like he’s going to drive against Ginobili (after using a screen from Chris Andersen), then hits him with a sick step-back. He creates just enough space to release his fifth jumper of the quarter over the shorter Ginobili, and just like its predecessors it finds the bottom of the net. At this point, there’s really nothing any defender can do against LeBron.