LeBron James was in attack mode from the very beginning of his team’s Game 2 contest against the Hawks, which was predictable for a couple of reasons.
With Kyrie Irving out of the lineup due to the lingering effects of a knee injury, James would need to be more assertive in taking control on the offensive end of the floor. And, with Atlanta’s DeMarre Carroll playing through a knee issue of his own, James would want to attack his defender as much as possible since he’s out there while being well below 100 percent.
As a result, James was largely unstoppable -- so Hawks big man Pero Antic resorted to simply shoving him to the ground.Pero Antic with a flagrant-1 on LeBron James. #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/OukcRzRfer
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) May 23, 2015
It wasn’t an attempt at defense, so I’m fine with the flagrant call, which only came after officials went to the monitor for a video review.
James finished the first quarter with 13 points, and the Cavaliers were out to a double-digit lead early in the second.
