In his 21-year career, LeBron James has been part of some iconic moments in NBA history, but no one individual play stands out more than his chase down block of Andre Iguodala in the 2016 NBA Finals.
That plus the Kyrie Irving three pointer that followed it are the indelible moments from the Cavs stunning championship comeback, with Mike Breen’s “BLOCKED BY JAMES” becoming one of the NBA’s iconic calls. On the latest episode of James’ Mind The Game podcast with JJ Redick, the two discussed LeBron’s prowess on chase down blocks by having him break down that play — and the role J.R. Smith played in that block that LeBron thinks goes under the radar.
On Episode 4, @KingJames discusses The Block and JR Smith’s importance on that defensive play.
Full episode with LeBron and @jj_redick: https://t.co/nsUyclbmwu pic.twitter.com/uac3JkZZHW
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) April 10, 2024
As LeBron explains, he asks his teammates to do two things in a situation where he’s trailing the play and they’re the one back. The first is to not foul the guy on the break, even in a 2-on-1. The second is to make them alter their layup a little to slow down the timing and give him an extra second to get there before the ball can get to the backboard. Smith did both of those things, being an obstacle but not fouling on the 2-on-1 and then sliding over to make Iguodala do the extra clutch on the ball before going up for the layup, allowing LeBron to fly across the lane for the biggest defensive play of his career.
It’s cool hearing LeBron talk about this because, while a lot of it is the result of his insane athleticism and innate ability to read and react, it’s not entirely a play borne out of spontaneity. He drills in his teammates what to do in that situation to give him the best chance to make the play, and in the biggest possible moment, that paid off for the Cavs to get them a championship.
