MIAMI — LeBron James wore every cloak possible Wednesday night. At the outset, he wore the mantle of the facilitator, getting teammates involved. After the Heat built an impressive halftime lead, he donned the garb of a terminator, determined not to let the Knicks back into the game or the series. And when it was all over, James who was the best and most efficient player on the court, wore the outfit of a winner.
“That’s just LeBron,” teammate Mike Miller said.
James started slowly from a scoring standpoint — his first basket didn’t come until 6:36 remained in the half. But he did everything else. He dominated the first quarter with his passing (five assists), he kept the Heat in full blown attack mode (7-of-8 at the line).
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LeBron James
“It was just read and react to the game,” said James, who contributed 29 points, seven assists, eight rebounds and two steals to the Heat’s 106-94 Knicks-eliminating victory. “I was able to find my guys in stride and get them some easy buckets. Personally, I was able to get to the free throw line. I think my first seven points came at the free throw line. I was able to be aggressive and get to the line and keep us in the game when they were shooting the ball extremely well.”
James, essentially, took what the Knicks allowed.
“That’s what he does. He reads the game as well as anybody I’ve been around,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. “He really focused on getting other guys involved. He was able to be aggressive and facilitate at the same time.”
And it never stopped. On Sunday, the Heat had a big lead and lost. James insisted no way there would be a repeat. After the Heat cruised into halftime ahead, 55-44, James thought only of the kill.
“It was very crucial. We had an 11-12 point lead in Game 4 and we weren’t able to bump it up. So we were very conscious tonight when the lead was 55-44 at the half, we just tried to bump it up,” James said. “Keep bumping it up and make them have to call a timeout.”
James, who averaged 27.8 points in the series, stayed assertive at both ends. He was assigned much of the night to Carmelo Anthony defensively. He was King James in every way. He finished with those 29 points on 16 shots. Anthony scored 35 points on 31 shots. At the end of the game, the two friends embraced.
“Since high school, it was always fun going against him,” Anthony said.
Fun. But not always satisfying. James goes on, Anthony goes home.
“It’s always special anytime we’re on the floor together,” James said. “All-Star Game or Olympics, first time competing in the post-season. He’s one of the best friends I have. It was great to finally go through a playoff series against him. He’s one of the best players we have in this league.”
But James was THE best in this series.
fred.kerber@nypost.com
LeBron James, Knicks online, the Heat, Carmelo Anthony, King James
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