There are only a handful of people in the world who can drop 50 points in an NBA game. There might be just one who can do it on the shots that LeBron James was making in his 51-point performance in Miami on Sunday.
James put an absurd degree of difficulty on his attempts, but nonetheless got his buckets efficiently, shooting 19-of-31 from the field and 6-of-8 on 3-pointers.
It was a master’s class in shot-making, as the four-time MVP put on a sizzling showing that included six fadeaways, six step-backs and much more.
10) Steal and slam to start
A minute into the game, LeBron made his first dent on the scoreboard on a sequence that began with defense.
Miami had the ball on the baseline, and James read the inbounds pass perfectly. He got his paw on the rock, sprinted ahead for Lonzo Ball’s outlet pass and cocked the ball back for a thunderous tomahawk slam.
9) Trip to the bank
James did a lot of his work off Tyson Chandler’s mountainous screens, including this and-1 that gave the Lakers their first double-digit lead.
Finishing through a foul is tough enough, but having the finesse to do so off the glass is a rarity.
8) Ending the half in style
The Lakers inbounded the ball with less than six seconds remaining until the halftime buzzer, but that was more than enough for the world’s best player to take it coast-to-coast.
James took advantage of a scrambled Heat defense. The center initially tried to pick him up 94 feet away; the point guard started covering him at half court; and the shooting guard attempted to meet him at the rim.
It was the recipe for another and-1.
7) Put some ice on it
James — one of the best post players of all-time — had a two-inch, 50-pound size advantage on shooting guard Josh Richardson and backed him down on the block.
Richardson gave LeBron a little shove back, so he spun for a shot fake to make Richardson raise his hands to contest — just so he could deliver another bruising shoulder to his chest before falling away for two.
6) Next stop: Liberty Island
Josh Hart (as he does) ripped down an offensive rebound, and LeBron saw opportunity.
5) Fastest draw in the West(ern Conference)
James used another screen from Chandler to get the matchup he wanted. There are few opportunities LeBron seems to enjoy more than cooking big guys with his step-back, and Bam Adebayo was on the menu here.
The sophomore actually did a solid job of closing out with his 7-foot-1 wingspan, but LeBron’s quick shooting mechanics got the ball out of his hands (and into the bucket) in an instant.
4) Post delivers on Sunday
With the shot clock winding down, LeBron took the time to savor the chance to have a shooting guard defending him.
James backed Rodney McGruder down to the block before firing one of the prettiest shots in basketball: the baseline fadeaway.
3) Limitless
LeBron found his hot hand early, as he scored 18 points in the first quarter alone. This included a range-redefining triple over Justise Winslow that James may have launched from Little Haiti.
Said Heat center Hassan Whiteside: “When he’s hitting shots like that, what do you want us to do? He was shooting 30-foot bombs.”
2) On the daily
I mean, what even was this?
LeBron got downhill off a Chandler pick, but began drifting away from a waiting Kelly Olynyk. Right before he left the paint, he sprang back for a fadeaway that would’ve resulted in a smashed controller if it happened to you in NBA 2K.
“Just give him the ball and get out of the way,” Kuzma said. “… We always talk about how he facilitates and has a pass-first mentality, but he could average 40 if he wanted.
“He shot a lot of fadeaways. It’s no surprise though. He works on it every single day.”
1) Fifty-one
LeBron finished the night with the 12th 50-point game of his career, surpassing Allen Iverson for sixth-most all-time.
But the King would’ve never reached his 50-count if it weren’t for Lance Stephenson’s prodding, and LeBron’s ensuing 32-foot step-back.
“Lance told me to finish the game off and said, ‘I bet you won’t shoot a 3,’” James laughed, “so I went for the 3. I was pointing right at Lance.”
