Miami Heat uber-star LeBron James is widely acknowledged as the best player in the NBA, but merely calling him such doesn't communicate just how amazing he is to watch on a daily basis. In seemingly every game, LeBron does something no other player in the league can do, turning a creative idea into an incredible play with astonishing regularity.
In Friday night's Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers, James had one of these moments right before halftime. With the Heat down 53-44 and mere seconds on the clock, LeBron attacked the basket and drew three defenders near him to challenge a likely shot attempt. However, James changed course in midair, switching the ball to his right hand and firing a shot to Mike Miller in the right corner for a buzzer-beating three. In real time, it looked like a smart, creative move by James to get his teammate an open look and cut the lead to six points.
Replays show much more. Because of the angle of his drive, LeBron could only get the ball to Miller by twisting his body, sliding the ball closer to his ring finger and pinky (theoretically the least powerful part of the hand), and throwing a high-speed pass to Miller before hitting the ground and with enough accuracy to allow him to get the shot off before the horn. It's goofy that someone could make this pass so well. Given what LeBron's shown us this year, it's probably what we should expect from him for the foreseeable future.
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