May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives beside Chicago Bulls center
Joakim Noah(13) in the second quarter in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Efficient LeBron James
LeBron knew what was at stake in Game 5. The game was in Cleveland, and was one that he knew the Cavs couldn’t afford to blow.
And he came out with his best performance of the playoffs thus far. LeBron finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. While those numbers, simply on the surface, are amazing by anyone’s standards, it’s the fact that he finished with ZERO assists and only 24 shot attempts that are the real reason why the Cavs won.
LeBron was efficient when the Cavs needed him to be most.
Only seven of LeBron’s 24 shots came outside of 15 feet. He made 12 of his other 17 shots inside of 15 feet, and made nine of those shots in the paint. Aggressive LeBron is always the better LeBron.
We’ll see if we see this version of LeBron in Game 6. If we do, this series could end on Chicago’s homecourt.
Next: Chicago's woeful quarter