“Scratch the play, just give me the ball”: When LeBron James superseded his head coach to hit one of the most clutch shots of his career

LeBron James told David Blatt to scratch the play and give him the ball in the waning seconds of Game 4 between the Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls in 2015. 

The narrative that LeBron James is not clutch has officially run its course as the Lakers superstar has proven time and time again that he can make the right plays when it matters most. Sure, the 4x champ has been passive in moments that may have required him to take a shot but looking back at those moments, he made the right play more times than not. 

LeBron James has had several runs in the Playoffs that showcased just how deadly he could be with a score first mentality. In recent memory, the two runs that come to mind are his 2018 and 2020 postseason runs with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.

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James has also capped off a couple games in the Playoffs at the buzzer, such as his shot against the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 ECF or his leaning banker against the Raptors in Game 3 of the 2018 postseason. 

LeBron James asked for the ball instead of having a play drawn up for him in the Bulls-Cavs series of 2015. 

LeBron James has been made fun of by several NBA fans for being the brains behind any decision his franchise makes, giving him the moniker of ‘LeGM’. Well, in the Cavaliers’ series against the Bulls in 2015, this actually took place as he admits that he told bench boss, David Blatt, to scratch the set play and to just give him the ball.

 

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For context, the Chicago Bulls were actually up 2 games to 1 on the Cavs in this ECSF series and so Game 4 was incredibly crucial Derrick Rose and his squad. The game was a rock fight through and through and with it being tied at 84 a piece, Cleveland decided to give the ball to LeBron James with 1.5 seconds left. 

Luckily for ‘The Land’, LeBron made the shot and the Cavs would go on to win two straight to end the Chicago Bulls’ chance to contend for a chip with their Rose-Noah tandem.