The Miami Heat had the ball with 12 seconds left in Game 5 on Wednesday night and a chance to close out the series. Naturally, the ball belonged to LeBron James. While it’s always hard to predict if LeBron will take the last shot himself or pass to the open man, he removed any element of surprise for Roy Hibbert.
After the game, Hibbert said he asked LeBron what he was going to do on the final play and LeBron was honest with him.
“I asked him straight up right before the play,” Hibbert told Scott Agness of Pacers.com. “I was like, ‘You gonna pass to Bosh?’ And he said if (he’s) in the paint he will. We were just joking around. I thought he was going to the basket and I tried to help my teammate out and those guys covered for me.
“In my mind, I was like, ‘Maybe they might go for the win with the three.’ He’s the best player in the world so you got to honor both.”
LeBron did exactly as he said he would. He drove to the lane and saw that Hibbert was coming over to help, so he kicked it to Chris Bosh in the corner. Bosh missed the 3-pointer and the Pacers went on to win 93-90.
James may have been better off trying to draw a foul, but the calls had gone against him the entire game. It seemed like the NBA wanted to extend the series. Bosh had a great look, so LeBron was right to pass it. Hibbert can call King James a lot of things, but he certainly can’t call him a liar.
