LeBron James has lived through many NBA finals where he played great and lost. It’s one of the stories of his career.
But the Game 5 duel James, which was played with Jimmy Butler in the season-saving 111-108 victory of the Miami Heat on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, immediately goes into the pantheon of his career showdowns.
Before Friday night, James ‘biggest single heavyweight match with Paul Pierce, who is still James’s most consistent rival, was in Game 7 of the 2008 Conference Semifinals. James scored 45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 92 points that Sunday afternoon in Boston. Pierce had 41, the two players guarding each other, reaching their sweet spots, and playing big games while holding, pushing, and cursing. The Celtics won by five.
But this one probably goes down a hook after that James Butler show. These two were brilliant at going chest-to-chest all night, culminating in a climax in the last three minutes when they achieved six consecutive possessions. Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were on the show James vs. Pierce and they were there again on Friday to name a nice game.
Butler finished the game with 35 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals and one block, down to 48 seconds. It was an incredibly efficient performance with an 11v19 shooting, despite having repeatedly faced a great elite defender in Anthony Davis.
James simply had one of the greatest shooting games of his already impressive final career. He made 15 of his 21 shots and six of his nine 3s, dream numbers for a player who values efficiency. He closed with 40 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.
“That’s the beauty of the game, being able to compete at the highest level,” said James. “You take advantage of these opportunities and you live in the moment. You try to make games for your team and be successful on both ends.”
In the end, they actually guarded each other. James was on Butler when Heat teammate Jae Crowder set the perfect backdrop that cleared Butler to make his way to the basket and foul Davis. The following free throws made the difference in the game.
Butler checked James in the final game, but James faced doubles and then triples when he got in the paint, leading him to a kickout that resulted in a missed 3-pointer chasing Danny Green for a while could.
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LeBron James is passed out by Danny Green who misses a potential shot that wins the game. Markieff Morris throws the ball out of play as the Lakers stall late in Game 5.
That was it – so small was the gap. In between there were so many balances of power with nuanced readings and finesse that led to a powerful, sublime back and forth.
That fourth quarter, James had 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists carrying the Lakers while Davis hobbled on a sore foot. Butler had eight points, three rebounds and three assists and continued to play mostly point guard with heat star Goran Dragic, who sustained a foot injury.
“That’s what really, really, really great players do,” Butler said of the fight. “But we’re not pulling back. We don’t shy away. We can go on the other end and do what we do. I think [James] had a hell of a performance tonight. “
James now has 10 playoff losses in his career when he scored 40 points, followed by Michael Jordan’s 12.
Butler has scored or assisted 240 points in the last four games. That’s the most in a different final span than James, who had 245 in the 2017 final. Jordan had 239 in a four-game segment in 1993.
These guys touch the story, and when it comes to James that is a ridiculously high standard. But that was how great Butler was. And so special is what unfolds between these two.
“We were both just trying to do that and lead our team to a win,” said James. “You know, he could do one more game than I could tonight and get away with a win.”
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