LeBron James was already in one of those moods. Whatever set him off – and it usually doesn’t take much in big games like Monday night’s – he was fuming in the first half, scowling up and down the court, waiting to erupt.
When given the opportunity on a fast break, he elevated and cocked the ball to the side with an outstretched arm, reminding the Nets – and Paul Pierce, in particular — that they can’t match his combination of strength and athleticism.
A day earlier, Pierce said he had lobbied coach Jason Kidd to guard James, if for no other reason than his familiarity playing against the four-time MVP. But here was Pierce serving as a mere practice cone with 3:06 remaining in the first quarter, when James finished his flush and proceeded with a lengthy stare-down of his long-time nemesis. The ball then ricocheted from the hoop onto the court, right in front of James. He let it roll, standing broad-shouldered and defiant in his dominance, clearly on a mission.
“He’s tough. Especially with his strength, his speed, when he ducks his head and tries to go to the basket,” Pierce said in his postgame concession after James scored 49 points in Miami’s 102-96 win that put Nets on the brink of elimination. “It really took away a lot of my aggressiveness in the first quarter when I picked up two fouls, so I was trying not to pick up my third foul in the second quarter and he realized that and he just kept going to the hole, but at the end of the day, it’s tough to guard him one-on-one.
“You gotta try to slow him down, you gotta try to send multiple guys at him and make him kick the ball and we didn’t do that tonight. … He’s a great player. You can’t take nothing away from him.”
Pierce had no answer for James. Nobody did. The Nets trail the Eastern Conference semis 3-1 – because James tied a career playoff-high, getting into the paint early and often while hitting 16 of his 24 shots.
James could’ve reached the 50-point plateau, but missed a foul shot with one second remaining. He played 43 minutes – including all 24 of the second half — grabbing six rebounds, and afterward expressed disappointment in failing to hit the 50-point milestone. “That’s the first time I’ve been disappointed with myself in a win,” he said. “It’s a free throw, and I hate missing free throws.”
Still, the Nets wouldn’t shrink away easily. They were always within striking distance, and had two opportunities to break a tie with less than minutes remaining. But Garnett missed a 17-foot jumper (by a lot), and Joe Johnson – going isolation against James — clanged a fadeaway off the rim.
Chris Bosh then buried the biggest shot of the game, a corner 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining to give Miami a 97-94 advantage. The Nets couldn’t recover. On Johnson’s final drive with 39 seconds left, James – who was carrying five fouls – made initial contact, but the refs swallowed their whistles and the Heat left Brooklyn victorious in one of those games that defines a series.
Johnson led the Nets with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting. Pierce had 16 in 31 minutes. Deron Williams again came up small in the fourth quarter, missing four of his five shots and finishing the game with 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
In a game reminiscent of his time in Cleveland, James didn’t get much help. Dwyane Wade (15 points), Bosh (12) and Allen (11) were the other Miami players in double-digits. The rest of the roster combined for 15 points.
“It’s tough when you’re backing up against him and he’s coming at you full speed,” Williams said. “You do what you can to wrap him up.”
The Nets had a chance to make this a series heading back to Miami for Wednesday’s Game 5, but they missed when it mattered most and bowed down to King James.
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