Sunday 9 June 2013

LeBron James blocks Tiago Splitter’s dunk attempt at the rim (Video)

For the first 30 minutes of Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James was curiously not in the middle of the action. As the league's best and most divisive player, James is typically the top story in any game regardless of his level of play. Yet, due in part to a strong performance from his teammates, including oft-criticized point guard Mario Chalmers, the Heat were able to weather his largely inessential performance and keep pace with the Spurs. For once, LeBron just wasn't the story of the game.

This state of affairs did not last long. Running several effective pick-and-rolls as a screener for Chalmers late in the third quarter and into the fourth, LeBron began to have his customarily major impact on the game and helped the Heat turn a close game into a 103-84 blowout. His most thunderous play by far was this dunk-denying block on Tiago Splitter with just over 8:20 left in regulation. Take your pick between this play and Roy Hibbert's similar block on Carmelo Anthony for the best rejection of the postseason.

After the jump, check out an amazing photo of LeBron's reverse-posterization of Splitter, courtesy of the official NBA Twitter account.

LeBron dominant close to the game doesn't undue his lackluster performance to start the night, but it should make clear just how great a player he is. Over the course of a few minutes, he turned one of the most bizarre games of his postseason career into one that will be remembered for his explosive block and overall impact during Miami's game-sealing run.

(Video via @BeyondTheBuzzer)



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