#CavsRank Moments 2: The Block

Tied at 89, with one minute and 51 seconds left in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, LeBron James made the greatest defensive play in the history of the NBA.  The game had been tied for almost three minutes, since a Klay Thompson Layup at 4:39. Andre Iguodala had laid a pretty good block against James at three minutes. In the ensuing 1:09, Iguodala missed a three, Kevin Love bricked a hook, and  Kyrie Irving missed a five footer which Iggy gathered, pushed ahead to Curry on a sprint. Curry executed a perfect bounce pass to Iguodala who caught it in full stride, went up against J.R. Smith – who did just enough to make Andre double clutch – and then, from seemingly out of nowhere, James high jumped almost twelve feet into the air to knock Iguodala’s shot against the backboard, hundredths of seconds before the ball hit the glass. The King’s chasedown of Andre Iguodala was as improbable and difficult as any play ever made in the NBA, and if James hadn’t made it, the Cavs would probably have lost The Finals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTMej8tK0QU

There was a lid on that basket since Klay’s game-tying layup, and the sense was that whoever could break through the wall and score first was going to have the momentum to win it all. Anyone who watches that video knows that the 2015 NBA Finals MVP was going to make that shot if LeBron hadn’t been there. LeBron’s play saved the game, and seriously demoralized the already wilting Warriors, setting up Kyrie’s game winner less than a minute later.

There has never been a bigger game that turned on such a pivotal defensive play. There have contenders: Jerry West’s steal and game-winning layup in Game 3 in the 1962 finals; the infamous “Havlicek stole the ball” play from 1965; Larry Bird steal of the inbound and assist to Dennis Johnson in the ’87 ECF; and Jordan’s steal against Malone to set up his game winning shot in the ’98 finals.

But LeBron’s block trumps all these great plays in terms of importance, athleticism, and skill. None of those plays happened in a Game 7 – a game seven forced after the Cavs face a 3-1 series deficit against the supposed greatest team in NBA history. To make that play without fouling and without goaltending in a moment of absolute importance speaks to LeBron’s poise and sense of the moment. While the above steals were impressive, they were borne of experience, instinct and expectation. From the point of view of pure size and athleticism, maybe only Jordan could have made that block. The early steals were impressive, and pivotal for the history of the game, but LeBron’s block is the zenith of NBA evolution: a showcase of the elite athleticism needed to be the best player in the NBA’s above-the-rim league.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmxDqcYik6k

ESPN’s sports science covers it pretty well in their breakdown. LeBron covered the first 60 feet in 2.67 seconds. He made up the last 21 feet by running over 20 miles per hour, and because J.R. delayed Iguodala’s release by .15 seconds. Sports Science claims that LeBron had a .2 second window between the release and the ball hitting the backboard and the block would’ve been called “the goaltend,” but I doubt it was even that long of a time. Who else in the world could have made that play? High jumpers? Olympic track and field guys? Usain Bolt? There’s maybe five guys in the wold with the speed, height, and leaping ability to make that play, there might be one guy in the history of the world with the ability to perform “the block” without fouling and without goaltending on such an enormous stage: the biggest game in NBA history.

To take it even further, consider that LeBron was playing in Game 7, in the final five minutes, after playing 289 minutes in the series and leading every player in the series in points, rebounds, and assists. Add that he’s played over 38,000 regular season minutes in his career, and that he’s played over 8300 playoff minutes (199 games!). And to think this is one year after it looked liked LeBron had “lost a step.” To say that “The Block” showcased that LeBron is one of the greatest athletes in world history is not an understatement. It showed that he has a “gear” that few people on the planet are capable of reaching – a gear for which Golden State clearly wasn’t ready. All hail the King.