"They have a guy who is playing basketball at a level that I'm not sure anybody's ever seen before."
Those are the words of Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who was describing Cavaliers star LeBron James after Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Kerr happened to play with a guy named Michael Jordan as a member of the Bulls in the 1990s, and he has coached MVPs in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. So, yeah, Kerr's comment carries some weight.
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James finished Game 1 with 51 points, eight assists and eight rebounds — and Cleveland lost. That Finals contest will go down in history not because of James' excellence, but because of JR Smith's infamous gaffe.
The play that decided Game 1. pic.twitter.com/e1UeOv57Rn
— ESPN (@espn) June 1, 2018
Smith's absent-minded play left the Cavs despondent and sent the game to overtime. Golden State throttled a stunned Cleveland team in the extra period and ultimately swept the Cavs for back-to-back championships.
LeBron was the NBA's most successful athlete of the decade. He has a library of notable games and playoff stretches. Many would point to his 45-15-5 game against the Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals as the signature moment that elevated him and placed him firmly on a title track.
That may still be considered James' "defining" performance whenever he retires, but in terms of an individual display of brilliance and dominance against an elite opponent, it could be argued he had his "best" performance against the Warriors.
After playing the full 48 minutes against the Celtics in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference finals, James scored a playoff career-high 51 points in a game-high 48 minutes, becoming one of only six players to reach 50 points in a Finals game and the only one to do so in a loss. He shot 19-of-32 from the field, 3-of-7 from 3-point range and 10-of-11 on free throws — the rest of the Cavs went 25-of-67, 7-of-30 and 6-of-11 in those categories.
He ran through defenders on his way to the basket like a senior going against the junior varsity team, shooting 12-of-18 in the paint and 9-of-10 in the restricted area. He hit pull-up bombs from beyond the arc, found open cutters and operated comfortably in transition or half-court settings.
James led the Cavs with a 39.0 usage percentage ahead of Jordan Clarkson (25.8), who scored four points on 2-of-9 shooting. Larry Nance (4-of-6) was the only other Cleveland player who shot better than 50 percent from the field. James simply didn't have much help — of James' 19 field goals, 16 were unassisted.
Despite the heavy workload and limited offensive options around him, James never allowed the Warriors to blow the Cavs away with a trademark Oracle Arena run. He made multiple clutch plays in the fourth quarter, including a tough bank shot through contact ...
A charge on Kevin Durant that was reversed to a block after a questionable review process ...
And a double-clutch layup over Draymond Green at the rim.
Then George Hill stepped to the line and missed the shot. Smith grabbed the rebound and floated out of the paint without any sense of urgency. It was effectively over. The Cavs couldn't mentally recover.
LeBron's peak performance, wiped out in a matter of seconds. Imagine how it would be remembered now had the Cavaliers scored just one extra point in regulation.
"If he had won that, it might be the best Finals game ever played, by anyone," former Cavs general manager David Griffin told Business Insider. "Hard to think of its equal."
