LeBron James expressed frustration with Tuesday night’s game, particularly a crucial play in the final seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
With the Pacers leading by three, Jaylen Brown’s last-second three-pointer tied the game for the Celtics, altering the momentum. James indicated he wouldn’t have allowed such a play to occur.
“And yall still wanna know why I would foul up 3 EVERY SINGLE TIME??” James posted on X shortly after the bucket with three hands covering face emojis.
James further engaged with the topic by reposting a “Mind the Game” podcast snippet from May.
In the clip, he and co-host J.J. Redick delved into the strategic decision of fouling the opposing team when leading by three points in the closing moments of a basketball match.
James pointed to a critical moment in the Knicks’ playoff series against the 76ers, where he would have chosen to foul in a similar situation to prevent a game-tying three-pointer.
“I personally, I would’ve fouled – I would have,” James said. “I would have fouled before Tyrese even touched halfcourt. … It has to be on the downward dribble, if you’re going to foul, you have to foul on the downward dribble. Sometimes, a lot of guys are afraid to do it, too.
“A lot of coaches are afraid to tell there team to foul when up three because either one, they haven’t worked on it. Or two, it is, with our rules, it gets tricky sometimes and you send a guy to the free-throw line … I am fouling, I am fouling, I am fouling. Guys are too great.”
LeBron James shades Pacers for controversial Game 1 decision https://t.co/rDRqAeJxW8 pic.twitter.com/p6M56kizpq
— New York Post (@nypost) May 22, 2024
