LeBron James Isn't Just Beating The Toronto Raptors, He's Completely Embarrassing Them

LeBron James just spins the ball right in front of Serge Ibaka and splashes the 3 in his eye □ pic.twitter.com/EfVqyFNJao

— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) May 3, 2017

I don't even know what to say. I despise the fact that LeBron James acts like he enters into some unflappable zone where he's completely unaware of all that's happening around him when the playoffs start. First the beer grab and now the free throw routine from behind the 3-point arc? He can say he's focused solely on winning basketball games, but clearly showing out at the expense of your opponent's pride is some 'And 1'-esque behavior and I'm pretty sure 'Hot Sauce' was concerned with a little more than the final score. I have no problem with the abject disregard that LeBron is showing the entire Toronto Raptors franchise, but it seems a little disingenuous for him to act like it's not completely intentional and/or internet friendly. 

The real story here, however, isn't LeBron James and the phony facade he puts on off the court. The real story here is the team that has been so submissive that they let the best player in basketball get confident enough to go full-GlobeTrotters mid-possession of a playoff game. I'm half surprised that he didn't go all the way and spin the ball on his finger while doing a shoulder shimmy, because the Toronto Raptors - with their two all star caliber players and notable deadline acquisitions - have basically become the Washington Generals. LeBron is interacting with stadium staffers and throwing a little flare on his jump shot as if the games are so inevitably uncompetitive that he needs to put on a show to make it worth the price of admission.

Usually I would say he's just trying to get himself attention, but - in the case - I think he just might be trying to keep the fans engaged so that they don't fall asleep. He's absolutely disrespecting the shit out of the Toronto Raptors, but - at the same time - he's showing them exactly as much respect as they deserve. Damn near 40 points on over 70% shooting? I don't know what Dwane Casey's defensive strategy is, but clearly it's bored LeBron James into assuming the role of the halftime entertainment....while the clock is still running.