LeBron James has been amazing during his different stints in the NBA, but none was like his tenure with the Heat. The 20-time All-Star won back-to-back championships with Miami and was at his physical peak. Joined by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, very few teams stood a chance against them at their best. However, the Pacers gave them a run for their money on multiple occasions. Former Indiana big man David West recalls a moment LeBron’s superhuman-like durability prevented the Pacers from stealing a game.
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West made a guest appearance on Darius Miles and Quintin Richardson’s Knuckleheads Podcast. During their conversation, West shed light on his experiences dueling against the Heat from 2012-2014. The two teams faced off in the Conference Finals in the final two instances in 2013 and 2014. However, Indiana was unable to get over the hump. West recalled a moment when the Pacers had the chance to take advantage of an ankle injury to LeBron, but it didn’t work in their favor. He said,
“I seen that man turn his ankle one time right. Like on the break, turn that sh*t fully over. Touch the ground and finish the play. I’m standing back, I ain’t wishing pain on nobody but I’m like, he got to go out after this. I said, ‘We got him.’ They call a timeout, dude is limping to the bench, comes back and makes the free throws. I’m like why is he not out? I think we steal that game but he comes back.”
The game West is referring to came in a regular season matchup in 2012. The Heat came away with a 118-83 blowout victory, despite Wade being out due to injury. LeBron played 38 minutes in the game, including seven straight minutes following the ankle injury. The Heat’s training staff didn’t take James out, since his ankle wouldn’t begin to swell until he stopped playing.
LeBron’s resilience in this game is one of the many instances the Pacers felt the wrath of the four-time champion. However, Indiana didn’t back down from a fight and made things extremely difficult in their competitive playoff matchups.
West has a great deal of respect for LeBron
Despite being a fierce competitor, West has the utmost respect for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The GOAT conversation is a debate that will continue for generations between basketball fans, but West believes it’s unquestionably LeBron. West said,
“LeBron James is the GOAT. He has been too dominant for too long in the best era. He’s so physical. We’ve never seen a guy who is so physically imposing that’s not a big man. He’s too big, strong, and fast for any era.”
“LeBron James is the GOAT. He has been too dominant for too long in the best era”
– David West
— (@MaskedInLA) September 7, 2022
James and West competed in more playoff series later in their careers. During LeBron’s second tenure with the Cavaliers, West joined the Warriors alongside Kevin Durant. Those matchups further instilled his belief of LeBron’s dominance and support for his case of being the GOAT.
