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Wiedmer: Is there no end to LeBron’s brilliance?

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are moving on to the second round of the NBA playoffs after sweeping the Indiana Pacers.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are moving on to the second round of the NBA playoffs after sweeping the Indiana Pacers. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are moving on to the second round of the NBA playoffs after sweeping the Indiana Pacers.

By Mark Wiedmer 5 min read

photo Mark Wiedmer

The Cleveland Cavaliers have LeBron James, and we don’t.

That’s what every team still alive in the NBA playoffs is coming to grips with today after James – with more than a little help at times from point guard Kyrie Irving – pretty much willed the Cavs into the second round with a sweep of the Indiana Pacers.

For proof of why everyone but the Golden State Warriors may be playing for second, merely consider the final 1:08 on Sunday, the Pacers having just taken their first lead of the final half by a slender two points on their home court.

What happened next is what makes King James inarguably the second-best player in NBA history, and should he creep another title or two closer to Michael Jordan’s six NBA crowns, possibly the best.

At that moment, with the game on the line, James calmly drilled a 3-pointer to return the lead to the 2016 champs. Then, with the Pacers down one and in possession of the ball, James stole it from Lance Stephenson to all but ice the victory.