When the Sixers needed him, LeBron James came to the rescue and delivered a win over the Knicks
James had a number of key plays when not much else was going right for the Sixers in the second half of their win over the Knicks.
Time and again in the 76ers’ 98-93 win over the New York Knicks, LeBron James came to the rescue when the Sixers needed him.
He did it late in the game, as the Knicks finally chipped all of the Sixers’ lead away and grabbed a one-point advantage of their own. He did it earlier in the second half, when the Sixers needed to calm down some Knicks runs. Add it up with his 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, and Friday was James’ “best game, for sure” with the Sixers, according to coach Nick Nurse.
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“I’m just trying to get more and more comfortable with what we’re running offensively,” James said. “I think every game, every week that I’m here, my body will continue to ramp up and ramp up and I’ll feel better. So, that played a part.”
There were moments, big and small, in which James contributed to winning, especially when the Sixers were punching air in an attempt to get anything going. Among those plays:
A cross-court pass with his body turned away from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who buried a corner three that put a temporary stop to one of the many Knicks second half runs.
A rebound putback that put the Sixers up five with 11.9 seconds remaining.
A jumper that put the Sixers ahead, 91-90, with 1:10 left after a Jalen Brunson three had given the Knicks the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter.
The first of those plays was James’ basketball IQ and court vision on full display. Tyrese Maxey dumped it down to James in the post, and, with his back to the basket, he spied Brunson coming over to help off Caldwell-Pope, then zoomed the pass to the opposite corner, and Caldwell-Pope buried the shot at the 6:58 mark.
That moment stopped a 7-0 Knicks run, but James had more in store for the final minutes.
When asked what James has brought to clutch moments for this Sixers team, Maxey said: “leadership. Calming presence.”
“He’s going to get a lot of rebounds, maybe go get the ball and calm us down,” Maxey said. “At the end of the day, it’s LeBron James. He can do the stuff like he did tonight. He got a couple of big buckets.”
Knicks fans in the arena were making plenty of noise after Brunson hit a three to put the Knicks ahead, 91-90. The Sixers’ last few possessions had been a bit disorganized. James got the ball a few feet outside the right block, and he dribbled to the middle of the lane for a fadeaway over Knicks forward OG Anunoby to give the Sixers the lead right back.
“For me to be able to be a calming factor for our team late game, just the experience that I have, and if it’s me with the ball, me without the ball, being able to put guys in the right position, just trying to talk them through,” James said of his mindset late in games. “If the other team makes a run, we come to the sideline, are we good? Let’s move on to the next play. Let’s figure out how we can be better for this play and the rest of the game. So it’s something I want to continue to pour into the team.”
It’s not a given that teams will be good in late-game situations, even teams with as much talent as the Sixers. Every team has to feel its way through those moments, especially if players are going through those tense moments together for the first time.
But James is constant in his communication and his encouragement. That has helped the Sixers win five of their six games, most of which have come in clutch situations.
“He’s seen a bunch of different end-of-game situations, so he’s composed, he’s relaxed,” VJ Edgecombe said. “But he’s also just so vocal, that kind of helps us. That helps us all the time … just gives us the confidence to guard, just expects certain actions, or he calls out something before it happens.”
» READ MORE: Sixers drop Knicks, 98-93, thanks to clutch moments from LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe
Like he knew that Caldwell-Pope was going to be open for that three, or what exactly he wanted to do when Anunoby was guarding him late.
That’s where the basketball mind of James has had a hidden value for the Sixers, and they might not be 5-1 without it.
“The fact that we’ve been in some close games this year,” James said, “we’ve actually prevailed — and teams have made runs, teams have gotten up on us, we’ve got up on teams and them come back and we kept our cool — it’s very encouraging. And we will try to continue that trait going forward.”
Beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine break down their most intriguing quotes from LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey during the preseason, along with what they most hope to learn about this revamped roster during the first month of the season. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
