One of the recurring issues the Cleveland Cavaliers have had during the 2017 NBA Finals has been the way they play with LeBron James on the bench. LeBron hasn’t been able to get enough rest sometimes, and it shows when he gets worn down at times, especially later in games when he’s been playing for three straight quarters.
However, Cleveland played relatively well with LeBron on the bench during the first quarter of Game 5, so he was able to get a fair amount of rest. This is what it apparently looks like when LeBron gets some rest.
Poor Kevin Durant – who is a pretty good defender and whose length is able to make plays like this difficult – just couldn’t do anything. LeBron came storming through like the flying death machine that he is and put Durant on a dang poster. In a Finals where LeBron has been spectacular, this was maybe his best individual moment.
Oh and by the way, LeBron managed to do this despite getting smacked right in the face by Durant. It was unintentional, sure, but it was definitely a foul that went uncalled. That was kind of surprising considering how tightly the officials called the first quarter, but it provided one heck of a highlight, so at least we have that.
