The defining moment of LeBron James‘ performance in the 2011 NBA Finals might not have been turnovers or lacklustre performances. According to Caron Butler, it was Dwyane Wade pleading with LeBron to shoot the ball in a must-win Game 6.
Speaking on the Straight Game podcast, Butler shared a story from the Dallas Mavericks‘ championship run, identifying the exact moment where the Heat’s fate was sealed.
“So listen, I’m going to tell you the strategy in our locker room. This is where the zone defense came in. Coach Casey installed the zone because the real problem on that Miami team was Dwyane Wade. Nobody could stop him. There wasn’t a matchup for him.”
“The focus was, ‘Keep Chris Bosh out of the paint. Make him shoot jumpers. Try to neutralize everyone else.’ But the guy we had to keep out of the paint and force into outside shots, especially on the biggest stage and in the biggest moments, was LeBron James.”
“Defensively, we also wanted to wear him down. Keep him coming off screens, whether he was guarding Jason Terry or involved in constant movement. Just keep making him work. Keep hitting him. Eventually, it worked.”
“Because no matter what had happened earlier in the series, whether we were up or whatever, I still looked at them and thought, ‘They’ve got three of the top five motherf***ers in the game.’ At any moment, they could flip the switch, and it would be over for everybody. But eventually, we pulled away.”
The Mavericks startegy on LeBron worked to perfection.
LeBron averaged just 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists during the six-game series while shooting 47.8% from the field and 32.1% from three-point range. For most players, these are decent numbers. But for a player who is widely regarded as the best player in the world, this was the biggest postseason disappointment of his career to date.
The shot volume speaks a larger story. LeBron never attempted more than 19 field goals in any game of the series. In the closeout Game 6, with Miami desperately needing a win to keep the season alive, LeBron finished with 21 points, four rebounds and six assists while shooting 9-15 from the field and 2-5 from three-point range.
15 shot attempts from your franchise player is just not acceptable in an elimination game. Especially when your co-star is having a tough time shooting the ball.
Dwyane Wade carried the Heat through that Finals, averaging 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists while consistently attacking the Mavericks’ defense. But in Game 6, his shot just wasn’t falling as he finished with 17 points on 6-16 shooting from the field. Rather than forcing tough shots, Wade tried to defer to LeBron.
And that’s when Butler saw the moment that clinched the Finals for the Mavericks.
“I’ll never forget Game 6, the closeout game. I’m on the bench, and I see Dwyane Wade pass the ball to LeBron in the corner. LeBron passed it right back. Then D-Wade was like, ‘Shoot the damn ball.’ They’re having a discussion right in the middle of the game. I remember thinking, ‘Oh s**t. We’re about to win.’ I was like, ‘Oh s**t. They messed up.’ I saw it happen in real time. I knew this was about to happen.”
Looking back at this, it’s quite simple to understand why Wade wanted LeBron to take over. Superstars are expected to give it their all in big moments, even if they end up failing. But LeBron hesitated, and the Mavericks smelled blood and clinched their first-ever title in franchise history.
Even after winning four titles after that and breaking almost every NBA record, this series remains the biggest blight on his 22-year career. The 2011 Finals continues to follow him the most, and it will undoubtedly be remembered as the lowest moment of his career.
