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Read other letters about this article
"I was livid last night after the game ended."
Please. I've now watched the clip on youtube several times, paying attention not to James/Hamilton but the other Pistons on the floor, ALL OF WHOM are sagging off their man and just waiting for Lebron to drive the lane (and again, Marshall is WIDE OPEN in the corner). It's clear that the strategy of having Rip guard Lebron (which I thought was strange at the time) was simply to have the quickest player on the floor try to stay in front of him and not leave his feet. Check. Then wait for help. Check again. At that point there were three Pistons concentrating on James, which allowed Hughes to grab a gift rebound, and could have allowed any number of teammates to slash into the lane for a pass or a putback. As others have pointed out, the Cavs don't seem to possess those players.
Granted, there was contact. But something else no one has pointed out is that Lebron has about five inches and 50 lbs on Rip. A turnaround jumper was there for him all along, but as he did most of the night, he walked right into a crowd of players simply waiting for him under the hoop.
