LeBron Was On Another Level During The First Half Of Cleveland’s Game Against Chicago

LeBron James knows that it’s been a rough go for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the last month or so. As always, when a team goes through a bit of a dry spell, all eyes are on their leader to see how they’ll respond. This is especially the case for the Cavs on Thursday, as reports have been coming in for the last few days about the state of the team’s locker room ahead of Cleveland’s nationally televised game against the Bulls.

Through one half, LeBron is beyond locked in. Cleveland took a 50-41 lead into the half, largely because their star forward played out of his mind. He had 19 points on 9-for-14 shooting along with four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block while playing some stellar defense.

For example, King James blocked a layup attempt by Michael Carter-Williams that will give Warriors fans some an unwanted reminder of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

In addition to this play on the defensive end, LeBron’s been a monster on offense. He’s been relentlessly attacking the rim, and he set the tone early with this powerful jam.

There was also this ridiculous dunk, which TNT almost missed because it was focusing on a Tyronn Lue sideline interview.

Here’s the dunk from another angle, which shows off how poor Joffrey Lauvergne didn’t stand a chance.

He wasn’t just doing horrifying things to the rim, as he put Jimmy Butler through the spin cycle as well.

And to put a bow on his performance through two quarters, LeBron hit a buzzer beater to send us into halftime.

While the Bulls are known for being on another level on Thursday night games, this seemed like the kind of game where LeBron would remind everyone – including his teammates – about the importance of going all-out as the playoffs are approaching. Through 24 minutes, he’s managed to do just that.