Lebron James had a rough night last night as the Golden State Warriors took a 3-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. He settled for too many three-point shots (going 1-5) and seemed way too anxious to pass the ball when he drove to the hoop. His dribbling skills seem to have disappeared and he’s become a turnover machine. As a result, he shied away from trying to finish at the rim all night.
But can you blame him? Lebron James was basically mugged by the Warriors defense every time he got into the paint. Of course, this has happened to pretty much every player on both teams throughout this series. The NBA seems to have decided that most fouls in the paint won’t be called unless it’s a flagrant slap, push or hold.
The result last night was a game that didn’t seem to resemble basketball at times, and also risked a physical confrontation as players from both teams pushed the envelope on the physical nature of the game.
This bizarre turn of events also plays into the hands of the Warriors. The Cavs need to be effective in the paint in order to run their offense, while the Warriors thrive with long jumpers that then open up the paint on passes off of aggressive perimeter defense from the opposing team.
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