
Video
LeBron Exploits Reed Sheppard's Blown Switch for a Vintage Backdoor Slam
Basketball
LeBron Punishes Reed Sheppard's Missed Switch for a Vintage Finish
Watch how LeBron puts his defender completely to sleep on the right wing before exploding backdoor off a pin away screen. The body language, the timing, the ground reaction forces off the split step - this is still elite level stuff from a 40-year-old.
Then in the second half, they run it back with a stampede catch, and Reed Sheppard ends up as the screener's man on the switch. JJ Redick drew it up knowing exactly what would happen. LeBron splits him with a one-foot jump stop and gets the easy finish.
The subtle genius here is how LeBron uses Sheppard's inexperience against him. Sheppard cheats toward the middle anticipating the obvious read, and LeBron is already gone before he can recover.
This is the kind of IQ that doesn't show up in a box score but separates a first-year player from a 20-year veteran. Rookies learn the hard way.
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