Last night was game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. It wasn’t an ordinary game though, each team had to battle the sweltering heat as the air conditioning in the AT&T Center malfunctioned. It was a close and tight game until during the final minutes cramps overtook the man that many considered superhuman. Lebron James limped and called for time out. He returned and tried to give it a go but the cramps got so bad he had to be carried off the court and the Heat were left without their best player.
Aside from the loss of James, the Spurs went on a barrage of threes and ultimately won the game 110-95. Of course the game led to numerous debates as to what “strong” players could or couldn’t play through and the numerous comparisons began. When it comes to Lebron, a Michael Jordan comparison isn’t far behind, so people brought up the “Flu Game”.
Isiah Thomas who was in attendance last night doesn’t agree with those assessments. “There is no athlete on the planet who could’ve played through those cramps,” Thomas told Yahoo Sports. “Michael Jordan absolutely couldn’t have played through those cramps. I absolutely couldn’t have played through those cramps. As an athlete, there’s nothing you could do.”
Though Thomas is known as Jordan’s former nemesis, he’s also the man who played through a swollen, throbbing ankle and delivered one of the most amazing championship performances in NBA history.
While many won’t give Lebron a pass for last night’s incident, Thomas was there to give him a comforting nod of understanding.
– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)
