With the score tied at 95, Oladipo drove the left side and was at the rim when James swooped in for a block on a play reminiscent of his Game 7 block on Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
It’s one of those calls they for some reason didn’t review. But if you look closely, you can see it hit the backboard.
“I got a step on him, and I felt I even got grabbed,” said Oladipo, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. “It hit the backboard and he blocked it. It was a goaltend. It’s hard to even speak on it. That layup is huge.”
James smiled when asked about the play.
“I definitely thought it was a goaltend,” James said with a laugh. “Of course I didn’t think it was a goaltend. I try to make plays like that all the time and I mean he made a heck of a move, got me leaning right and he went left and I just tried to use my recovery speed and get back up there and make a play on the ball. And I was able to make a play.”
If the refs decided to let it go, they sure made the right call from a drama standpoint. LeBron nailed that 3, and it was a beautiful thing.
