To his credit, Tiago Splitter knew better than to attempt a finger roll. The San Antonio Spurs' center came flying through the paint and was primed to throw down a one-handed slam during the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals when LeBron James rose up and turned back the attempt.
"Protect the rim," James told ESPN's Doris Burke when asked what he was thinking as Splitter came barreling down the lane. "Tony hit him with a great pocket pass and Splitter had a runway to the rim. I was just like, 'Hey, just make a play. You haven't done much offensively so so just try and change the game some way defensively.' And I was happy I was able to get a good block."
A good block? If that counts as "good block" for James then fear for whomever is on the wrong end of whatever he would term a "great block."
Of course, James seemed understandably impressed in the heat of the moment. With Splitter turned away and his teammates already off and running in transition, James posed for a moment beneath the rim. Photographs were taken. Poses were posed. Perhaps Pacers center Roy Hibbert will display a poster of this block in his man cave.
The ensuing fastbreak eventually resulted in a three-point make by Ray Allen, stretching the Miami lead to 89-67. The Heat would go on to win 103-84 to pull even in the best-of-seven series.
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