During his heyday, Mike Tyson asked of his overmatched opponents, “how dare they challenge me with their primitive skills?”
Such words could easily be uttered by Cleveland’s LeBron James —the stats (36 points, 13 in the 4th quarter, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) do scant justice to the manner in which Andre Iguodala was repeatedly abused by James’ footwork, ball handling and physical play.
This was not a night in which Allen Iverson can be accused of failing to incorporate his teammates ; A.I. (37 points, 12 assists) kept C-Webb, Iguodala and Kyle Korver involved throughout, but short of quadruple-teaming James, I’m unsure what else Philly could’ve done. Not only has James’ supporting cast improved measurably since his debut two seasons ago, but his own game gets scarier by the day. Not since that fellow with the Competition Problem has the league seen a player so skilled at creating his own shot, nor one who makes so many 2nd tier players look like relative all-stars.