Most of the time, LeBron James has a reason to be cocky. He’s one of the best basketball players in the world, after all, and has been for the better part of the last decade.
But the Cleveland Cavaliers star picked the wrong time to showboat Sunday night.
With the Cavs holding a slim two-point lead over the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their first-round NBA playoff series, James drove the lane, sucked in defenders and dished a pass to teammate Kyrie Irving, who was waiting at the right elbow. Then, before Irving even released the ball, James took off down the court, finger raised in celebration.
One problem: Irving missed the shot.
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The eighth-seeded Pistons gave the top-seeded Cavs a surprising run for their money, even taking a two-point lead into the fourth quarter before ultimately falling 106-101.
And while James’ premature celebration was a bit embarrassing, Cleveland’s Big Three was dialed in for the majority of the night, with James, Irving and Kevin Love combining for 81 points in the win.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
