Dwyane Wade still believes in LeBron James.
After making four straight NBA Finals appearances himself, Wade now finds himself on the commenter’s side of the championship chase. LeBron left the Miami Heat for the Cleveland Cavaliers, taking South Beach’s title hopes with him. And he’s carried the Cavaliers to a Finals date with the Golden State Warriors, a matchup that, on paper, doesn’t favor Cleveland even slightly.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are both done for the postseason, and the Warriors are a 67-win juggernaut. The idea that the Cavaliers, even with LeBron, could pull off the upset under the circumstances is blasphemous to most.
This just in: Dwyane isn’t most people.
As he said on ABC’s Game 2 broadcast Sunday night, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman:
“If anyone can do it, LeBron James can.”
Turns out that LeBron actually can do it, at least for one night.
LeBron and friends squeaked out a 95-93 overtime victory Sunday night, overcoming the absences of Love and Irving to deal Golden State its fourth loss of the year at Oracle Arena. This best-of-seven sparring is now knotted up at one game apiece, giving the Cavaliers new life as they head to Cleveland for Game 3.
Sure, the Warriors are still favorites to win this series. How could they not be? And yes, LeBron himself didn’t look great from start to finish in Game 2, shooting justing 11-of-35 from the field. But he’s past the point of trying to look good. He’s going to take a ton of shots, many of which he’s going to miss. He has no other choice. He is Cleveland’s lifeline and the looks he’s receiving—especially now, without Love and Irving—aren’t going to be wide open.
It’s his aggression that matters most. His interior assaults force even the most poised defenses—like that of Golden State—to adjust and adapt and send help to cut him off, even if it’s only one extra body, and even if it’s only from time to time.
Those extra bodies go a long way in creating space for LeBron’s teammates. And LeBron will see that space and make clean, crips passes. That, or he’ll draw a foul. Or he’ll score anyway.
Because he’s LeBron Freaking James.
That’s why this series is tied. That’s why the Cavaliers, injuries and all, aren’t dead yet.
LeBron is LeBron, and so long as he stays LeBron, Cleveland has hope. It may be just a sliver of hope, a faint flicker of optimism that could be extinguished on any given night, but Wade is right: If anyone can parlay these impossible odds into a championship, LeBron James can.
