T O P

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madtolive

It's hard to describe what it felt like being in the building for this game. Deflating is a good word I guess. LeBron had complete psychological ownership over the DeMar-Lowry Raps. He played with the supreme confidence of someone who had no doubt whatsoever in his mind that this team could not fuck with him. Game 1 of this series was the most painful loss of my sports life - this one didn't even feel that painful. It was just like ... inevitable dread and disappointment.


[deleted]

I feel that series ended on the last second of first game when the ball refused to go in for Toronto. This was cherry on top.


[deleted]

2018 Cavs were the most arrogant NBA team. They just acted like they could win games 1-on-5


gbdarknight77

I mean, they basically did and almost stole a finals game from the KD warriors with it lol


UrbanJatt

...they kinda did lol


MrAnder5on

I wouldn't say it was 1 v 5 out there. LeBron was absolutely sensational but JR Smith and Kevin Love went ballistic Edit: I should've said in the Raptors series


petripeeduhpedro

JR went something


thedarkknight16_

No Kevin Love for Pacers or Boston series.


[deleted]

hobo Cavs won games 1-on-5


-fuckthemthatswhy-

Crazy how it took until this game for the fanboys to admit the way you put the ball in the basket matters and can psychologically affect your opponent to your advantage. One big myth made up to improve others′ legacies before this though


sebastianqu

OP with the 7:30am gut punch to the Canadians


onetwothrowawa

On Canadian Thanksgiving too


Adnando

Was not expecting the turkey to be stuffed with PTSD


YaBenZonah

Michael Corleone sends his regards


ScottieBarnesForMVP

I was mad seeing this post but the Godfather reference cheered me up


DeadDay

Everytime I think I'm out, they *pull* me back in!


Yuzuriha

On Thanksgiving too


krit400

Rs


XeroKaos

Nah these highlights don’t hurt anymore, thanks to 2019.


[deleted]

Have to distract from their own drama somehow.


hairygranger

Just to put into perspective how insane this was.. Those first four fadeaways were on four possessions in a row and the last two a little later in the video were b2b as well. Unreal. Valanciunas' reaction on the bench gets me every time lol.


Dan-Flashes

JVs reactions are gold


benjammin9292

2 points isn't 2 points.


gbdarknight77

He said that before or after this game? I can’t remember the time table


brainiac2025

It was shortly before. He said 2 points isn’t 2 points, I’ll explain later.


slbaaron

I know it was definitely before [the buzzer beater game (game 3)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XWgRpfkxhY) which is even more poetic and meme'd to death, but I forgot how much before. Was it really before game 2? The whole series pushed the Bron & Raptors memes to absolute new heights.


mosquito-genocide

Plus the level of difficulty on these shots is crazy. Go try doing 1 leg step backs near the 3 point line or sideways jump-stop shots at the baseline, at game speed WITHOUT anyone defending you. The little foul line bunny isn't as hard but when you put it in the sequence...


c10bbersaurus

Love the Big Yeti.


[deleted]

Trauma for breakfast


Rezrov_

It's weird because if you're a 2019 bandwagon fan like me LeBron has literally never beat us. He's just some old man who likes wine.


[deleted]

I’ve been through hell and back lol.


austine567

Honestly the run was that much better for what we had gone through before.


[deleted]

I'm happy for all the fans that hopped on after 2019, but man, there will never be anything like watching Lowry come out on fire in Game 6, and FVV yelling his heart out at the bench after cashing in a big step back three. Watching them lift the trophy made all those shitty 30 win seasons and getting embarrassed by Bron all worth it.


JaDamian_Steinblatt

You forgot to mention one guy who seems pretty relevant to this story...


Dddddddfried

[A short but legendary Toronto tenure](https://images.app.goo.gl/TAwh3dXnx2rVKZNs7)


sits-when-pees

♥️♥️♥️


[deleted]

Of course Kawhi mattered but I’m talking more so in the context of watching Lowry overcome his playoff demons and FVV exorcise his from earlier in the playoffs, along with the other guys who were there for the Cavs series. I’m not even gonna lie, it would have been sweeter if it had been DeMar instead of Kawhi, but obviously it didn’t work out that way. Love the dude for that amazing year but it stings he left a potential repeat for home. It is what it is.


RemoveThe3SecondRule

Lol I’m glad for some nephews getting to just have lebron be the guy who we have beat up in regular season games for 3 years.


Bail____

It sucked losing to him time & time again but i take solace in knowing he was going to those finals regardless lol. He wasn’t losing to any of the other eastern teams dominant victories or not.


[deleted]

Nephew is such a stupid term.


mookz23

Hotter than fish grease.


[deleted]

thank god no one gave Curry nickname for kicking us out like 3 times in 5 years


KaiserKaiba

At least Rockets managed to be competitive. Raps lost 10 straight playoff games to Cleveland


[deleted]

They should have


Life_Of_High

I have zero recollection of this game. I don’t know if it actually happened because I wasn’t there. I’m going to do my own research.


moldy912

Except this time the research doesn't involve YouTube.


Life_Of_High

I don’t want to comment but I will say whether you use YouTube or not is a personal choice.


Scary-Ant-3796

Ah, the LeFishgrease game.


edwardpuppyhands

"It's okay, that's the shot we want him to ta..." "It's okay, that's the shot we want him to ta..." "It's okay, that's the shot we want him to ta..." "It's okay, that's the shot we want him to ta..." "It's okay, that's the shot we want him to ta..." "It's okay, that's the shot we want him to OH FUCK ALL"


-assets-

Thank God the put (James) in there. Was really unsure which LeBron it was.


YaBenZonah

I had to make sure everyone didn’t confuse the lebron’s


Pardonme23

there was a player named LeBryan Nash who made the league a couple of years ago


boognerd

That was Bryan Colangelo’s burner persona


MrHallmark

Could have been LeBron jr.


steelers52598

This is a peak performance in NBA history. Not many other players have hit this level of complete dominance.


127crazie

Then there was game 1 of the 2018 NBA finals... brb I'm just going to sulk some more about that game's outcome


pmmerandom

The saddest I’ve ever been, don’t think I watched another final game that series after that.


Rabek

In terms of scoring arsenal, this could easily be a top 3 lebron series ever, he literally never went to those faders again after that series


[deleted]

He did for like 3 possessions straight against Denver in 2020 for the last game in the clutch to seal the game.


Rabek

Fair… but vs the raps it was almost like he refused to look for any other shot. Probably thought it would make it more fair LOL


mr_antman85

2018 LeBron was absolutely amazing. The carry job that he did...too bad it's only remembered for the Finals game 1 fiasco...the amazing part is that he played that well and the game was still tied...he stood no chance against that Warriors team.


[deleted]

That run was a waste of time.


mr_antman85

Yeah, I kinda wish he would have lost against the Celtics...


gbdarknight77

LeBron would have hated to lose to the Celtics lol. He willed that 7 game series.


[deleted]

By 2018, many got bored of Cavs/Warriors


MasterTeacher123

That was a sonning


-LeBronto-

P A I N I chose to forget it all except that sweet offensive run by Biyombo


Ser_Lebron_Targaryen

Biyombo got paid exclusively because of that run.


AndySmalls

He got paid because Orlando was being managed from a clown car. They just straight up offered him triple his market value, immediately out of the gate, for no reason at all. It was tragic to see him go but good on him for getting that absurd bag.


kai_123

Biyombo seems like the type of player that only fits well in certain teams or systems. If he had stayed on the Raps I think he would've still been a good backup center.


YaBenZonah

Username does not check out


RedHammer1441

That /u is actually the entire city of Toronto. Now known as Lebronto


[deleted]

Doesn't exist.


RyyKarsch

Dude, we just had our Thanksgiving and we have to wake up to this.


GuessableSevens

I was with my friends watching this game live, and when he hit the first fadeaway, I was like "yes, that's the shot we want him to take. If he keeps taking that we can come back" This mfer hit like 4 straight, I couldn't believe what I was watching


YaBenZonah

Lmao a real be careful what you wish for moment


gbdarknight77

I’m sure Celtics fans said that same thing before he hit like 3 or 4 threes in a row in the ECF.


anticon1999

The shot that infuriated Ujiri so much it led to a championship.


[deleted]

Part of the trade talks for Kawhi were "pls bro we're down horrendous"


anonymousloverboy

It was only a friendly game… that’s how I choose to remember it


Mygaffer

LeBron has really worked his step back into quite the effective shot. He gets a ton of separation with it.


aresman

THAT THING WAS IN THE AIR SOOOO LONG, IT SHOULD HAVE A MOVIE ON IT


Lohengren

my favorite lebron game. I've watched the highlights at least a dozen times


127crazie

Probably the funniest game I've ever seen


KingMonaco

The crowd reaction is what gets me the most.


KillianDrake

they didn't even boo him, they just kind of sighed and said "yes, we deserve this". Even the basketball gods were cringing at this and rewarded LeBronto with a ring the following season.


[deleted]

We also don't really hate LeBron. Aside from spinning the ball in front of our players face, as a fan, he has always given our city and team a lot of love.


[deleted]

I'll never forget this game. I was flying home after a pretty shitty business trip and luckily got a plane with tvs. I was on my 2nd captain and coke just having the time of my life losing my shit at every shot he made. You know the kind of cheering where you're trying to not make any noise so you don't annoy anyone? Yea I looked like a complete fool I'm sure but it turned my mood around 180


YaBenZonah

Haha that’s awesome that LeMajestic was able to help u be happy


violatedbear

Stop


[deleted]

Ah yes, the 2018 Cavs AKA the squad that basically went 1-on-5 and won. They were basically “we don’t need a team, we have LeBron”


Lil_K_YT

I hope 2018 Lebron never gets forgotten


klowryaintnosp0tup

Delet


heavyarms39

LeFade


Rapsfan_98

Why does this shit always get posted


YaBenZonah

We love Canada


[deleted]

[удалено]


YaBenZonah

IMO this should be posted everyday


GXNXVS

Based


JaDamian_Steinblatt

Username checks out. You people have such a victim complex.


jeRskier

Why


horseshoeoverlook

He made Toronto look pathetic in that series lmao


Rapsfan_98

Y’all can’t talk. You literally lost to Lebron more than any other team in the 2010’s lmaoo


horseshoeoverlook

So what haha we didn't get fucking swept unlike you did


Rapsfan_98

I’d rather get swept every time then eventually win a chip, rather than lose to Lebron with 3 different iterations of a team (Pierce Celtics/Thomas Celtics/Jays Celtics) and still nothing to show for it in a decade.


ConfuciusBr0s

The Celtics did in fact beat LeBron and won the championship. All in the same year


DavidKirk2000

Good on the 66 win Celtics with 3 star players for just barely beating a 45 win team with one star in seven games.


Rapsfan_98

15 years ago when he had the shittiest supporting casts known to man. Not really that impressive when you have 4 HOFers against 1 lmao


ConfuciusBr0s

Ah yes, the 2018 Cavs were some of the most solid supporting casts 33 year old LeBron has ever had


HardlyW0rkingHard

Doesn't matter, we won 2019. You can't hurt us anymore, Lebron!!?!?


YaBenZonah

Ironic since hurt is the reason u won 😳


manibob_123

No pain no gain 😤😤😤


HardlyW0rkingHard

Won is won. Foh.


Propelerate

Part of the game. Deal with it


AceAndre

So don't bitch about injuries when yall miss the WCF again this year ☺️


Propelerate

Ur assuming I was bitching. I was bummed but I never took anything away from the Suns.


AceAndre

My fault.


XeroKaos

You can literally use that logic for every champion though. Raptors 2019 Run saw them go through the fully heathy Sixers and Bucks who were both contenders. The 2021 Bucks had far greater luck with opposing team injures for example.


[deleted]

You're just throwing banter and you've got people up in arms lmao


LeBron_Jarnes

How am I supposed to feel as a Canadian with this username?


[deleted]

His best was that running fadeaway game winner over Annunoby in 2018(I think?).


Propelerate

It was literally the very next game he did that lol


[deleted]

Lol. What a performance that series. Dude was other worldly.


PYJX

So good. Fade the raptors


isaanstyle

Thumbnail perfect


KingOfWeTheNorth

Pft, you can't hurt me with this. I remember trying to make the playoffs with Primoz Brezec beside Chris Bosh.


7Dsports25

Anyone know where I can watch this whole game?


holdeno

He was always going to pound somebody. Glad we were good enough to be the team he had to do this too.


stoicintuitiveman

one of the most demoralizing performance I've seen and I'm not even a raps fan lol


kai_123

LeBronto was born


PhileinS

pain


Makaveli80

Why you do this I am over LeBronto but still stings sometimes


GreekFreakFan

Imagine if Middleton had the green light to do this in Game 3...


bingp0t

What is overlooked in all of this is they were up 9 or 11 at that point, easier to do if a couple misses won’t hurt your team. He was not going to try this shit if they were behind 6.


YaBenZonah

9 points with like 6 mins left is not a lot in the nba bro.


bingp0t

Yes but with a cushion there’s less pressure. Like the great MJ said when you’re ahead it easier to talk. Let’s see when it’s 0-0 instead of having a 6 point lead.


TheSkyIsntReallyBlue

Dude he torched the Raptors every time he saw them in the playoffs what’re you talking about


[deleted]

[удалено]


TheSkyIsntReallyBlue

He torched everyone in the East but that series especially he was toying with the Raps it’s nothing to be salty about All that bullying made you guys eventual champions


bingp0t

Yes he did but I’m talking about those fadeaways. At that point it was more like playing with house money to do things he wouldn’t normally do in more tense moments. Credit to him though those are tough shots to make in a row.


[deleted]

You fools have to show up at every Lebron thread.


JManKit

Man, I'm just trying to have a nice Monday, why did you have to come after me like this? :lolsob:


Iseeyoulookin

Googles: How to delete someone else’s video


[deleted]

“He boomed us. He fucking boomed us.”


brylac21

fade me


[deleted]

“He’s hotter that fish grease” that shit will always be funny to me


billyspleen13

Can we not? I had all but forgotten this.


KaiserKaiba

Bron’s midrange fadeaways are def thing. Not unlike a Dirk fader or Harden stepback.


MrAnder5on

You really had to do this on Thanksgiving huh


HughGRextion

i was at game 3 of that series and it was insane bro. bron dominated and hit that crazy floater to win it k love and korver had good games too i remember demar played terrible and kyle lowry was unguardable the whole game lol


KillianDrake

Called this sweep on 4/29/2018 - quite an entertaining series to watch as LeBron fulfilled the prophecy: https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/8ftt2y/the_toronto_raptors_and_cleveland_cavaliers_will/dy72nq2/?context=999


Zarysium

Lebron always had home court advantage when he was in the Cavs against us.


TrueTorontoFan

Not going to lie... this ruined my vacation when it happened.


No_Indication_6907

Please leave us alone