“2 points aren’t 2 points!”: How LeBron James called out his coaches and proved them wrong

LeBron James refused to acknowledge ‘2 points as 2 points’ after game-winning fadeaway against Raptors in Game 3. 

LeBron James was never really looked at as a guy who you were afraid of taking a shot from the mid-range or even beyond the arc. During his first stint with Cleveland and his days in Miami, while he was a capable shooter, having the ball in his hands and blocking off driving lanes was the best possible way of stopping him from scoring efficiently. 

This all changed when ‘The King’ saw Kyrie Irving leave the Cavaliers in the summer of 2017. James had lost his only reliable star shot creator. That 2017-18 season was perhaps LeBron’s best from a skillset standpoint. He has had purely dominant seasons like 2009 and 2013 but his ‘bag’ got deeper by tenfold during his final year in Cleveland. 

This was most noticeable in the Playoffs when the Cavs faced off against familiar adversaries in the Toronto Raptors. Time and time again, Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry believed it was their year to be East champions and time and time again, LeBron James got in the way. 

2018 was the final year that Masai Ujiri would give the backcourt tandem a shot in the Playoffs. After 4 years we can safely say that Masai made the right choice by trading away his franchise star.

Also read: “LeBron James and I would be perfect for each other!”: Kobe Bryant rejects option to play with idol Michael Jordan, choosing the King instead

LeBron James and his ‘2 points’ theory. 

Basketball analytics nerds have long preached from the mid-2000s that the mid-range needs to be abolished. If a lay-up or shot from within the paint is worth 2 points, why shoot a pull-up from 19 feet away from the basket? This type of mentality has led to what many are calling ‘the death of the mid-range’. 

LeBron James however, disagreed with the notion of only taking lay-ups or 5-foot floaters when within the arc. On the morning of Game 3 against the Toronto Raptors, he was asked about shot selection and shots from within the arc that don’t align with modern NBA analytics. His response was cryptic but somehow made sense.

Sure enough, that same night, May 5th, LeBron James scored 38 points on 54% shooting. He capped his night off with a shot that perfectly summarized his statement from earlier on in the day. In a 105-103 victory, James hit a leaning, one-legged, fadeaway bank shot from around 15 feet to go up 3-0 on the Raps, essentially ending their season.

Prior to it, LeBron had missed one of two crucial free throws but made up for it with that near impossible banker. Safe to say that his ‘2 points are not 2 points’ theory had legs to stand on by the end of the night.

Also read: LeBron James’ terrible second option in 2005-06 was on a 5-year $70 million deal