In the end, it didn’t stop LeBron James. He still called his own number then hit the game-winning jumper from the corner.
But near the end of the second quarter LeBron sprained his ankle when Derrick Rose stepped in to take a charge in transition.
“I rolled it pretty good,” LeBron said after the game. “I haven’t had an opportunity to see the replay, but I know I rolled it pretty good when I stepped on D-Rose’s foot in transition. I wasn’t coming out. I felt it on the floor for a while, and I just took my time. I was not coming out not only because of the position our team was in but because of who I am as the leader of the team. I was going to fight through it no matter what.”
I’d have ruled that a block. Bulls’ fans no doubt see it differently.
But should those kinds of step-in charges even be in the game? Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban says no.
I don’t know if this is as pressing as looking at whether divisions should still exist, or if hack-a-whoever should be banned (it should if you ask me), but it’s a topic worth discussing.