In addition to carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers to a Game 3 NBA Finals win with 40 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday night, LeBron James also turned into an NFL defensive back late in the fourth quarter — one who knew exactly where the quarterback was going with the ball.
Trailing by seven and coming off a timeout with 51 seconds remaining in the game, the Golden State Warriors drew up an inbound play that LeBron had seen before. Stephen Curry tried to get the ball to David Lee, and LeBron came sprinting around the corner and intercepted the pass.
James pointed to his head after coming up with the steal.
“I just seen them run that set before, and I was telling the coaching staff that I was in tune and I knew it was coming,” LeBron said of the gesture after the game.
The play essentially iced the game. LeBron was fouled by Klay Thompson and went on to hit both free throws, giving the Cavs a nine-point lead with less than a minute to play.
LeBron is playing the best basketball of his career, and he may have hinted at what is motivating him after Tuesday night’s win. He’s carrying the team offensively with Kyrie Irving out and is playing tremendous defense as well. If LeBron’s fourth-quarter steal proved anything, it’s that he is working as hard off the court as he is on it.
