LeBron's Game Saving, Desperation Three Was Incredible, But What In The Hell Were The Wizards Doing?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?#LeBronJames ties it up w/ the THREE off the glass! pic.twitter.com/8fuNrHqprL

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 7, 2017

Honestly, this is one of those plays that's so impressive that you usually just ignore the futility of the all too submissive victim and appreciate it for the greatness it requires. Unfortunately, there's nothing more I can say about the best player in the world hitting a buzzer beating, fadeaway corner three off the glass that hasn't already been said. Other than just bowing down to the marvel of it all, that's simply a shot that leaves the viewer speechless. Fortunately for the sake of this blog, the same can't be said for the defense that allowed it to happen. 

I'm not much of an X's and O's guy and if you asked me how to contain LeBron on any given possession my suggestion would probably be just as effective as trying to bite his ankles. That said, I know that having one shorter guy casually stand behind him as he easily snags an 80 foot dime well within his range is a preventive measure that makes the Falcons 4th quarter defense look dogged. Christ, the one part of Kevin Love's game that was never passively aggressively criticized by his "leader" was his outlet passing. The long ball to LeBron couldn't have been more obvious play if he whipped his phone out and started subtweeting his power forward that he was open. People will compare this to the famous Christian Laettner shot and rightfully so, but does just mean that final possession defense hasn't progressed since 1992?! I don't know if the Wizards know this, but playing prevent in the late stages of a game is a much better option when there is an end zone waiting behind you. Again, all credit to LeBron for making an absolutely ridiculous shot, but...uhh...maybe next time the Wizards should think about making the Cavaliers pass that ball to anyone not nicknamed 'King' at literally any other area of the court?