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‘Why did LeBron James not pass to Anthony Davis for final shot?’: Stephen A Smith puzzled by Lakers’ choice of play in Game 5

Amulya Shekhar
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Why did LeBron James not pass to Anthony Davis for final shot?': Stephen A Smith

Appearing on SportsCenter last night, Stephen A Smith gave rave reviews of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He was, however, a bit puzzled by LeBron’s decision in the dying seconds.

The Lakers trailed for most of Game 5, but were able to cut it all by the middle of the final period.

The Heat and the Lakers then exchanged the lead numerous times right until the dying seconds of the game. In a scintillating game of basketball when both teams were able to offensively execute in clutch, the Heat came out on top.

Stephen A Smith puzzled by LeBron James’ decision in the Lakers’ final play

In addition to giving major props to the Heat, Stephen A commented on how James’s decision in the final play affected the outcome.

Also Read: ‘Refs made bad calls; gave Jimmy Butler 4 extra free throws’: Lakers’s Frank Vogel unhappy with referees in NBA Finals

“LeBron James had it going all night. He drives to the lane and makes the right basketball play in kicking it out to Danny Green. But Danny Green has not been your shotmaker through this series or arguably, throughout these playoffs.”

“LeBron has everything going for him on the night. Why pass him the ball, and particularly why to Danny Green? He could have passed to Anthony Davis cutting from the opposite corner.”

James had 40 points and 13 boards on the night. Despite his ankle injury, even Anthony Davis was dominant on the night, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 boards.

There is merit in Stephen A Smith’s assertion that James could have set up AD, but the big man was being guarded much better than Green on that play.

One might argue that LeBron should have tried to earn free throws, but that has never been his game.

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar

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Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

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