MILWAUKEE -- Undersized, isolated and still dealing with a lingering back injury, Jared Dudley did the best job he possibly could while defending LeBron James in a crucial late-game possession.
James faked, executed a step back to create space and then drilled a 3-pointer with just 14 seconds left Wednesday night, clinching another victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-99 over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Knowing he'd just effectively ended it, James stomped down the court, jerked his thumb back and yelled: "Get out of here."
Dudley's wingspan is 6-feet-7 and at age 29 with a bad back, the best he could do was face guard James. His efforts in this were admirable, he closed the gap as quickly as he could and stuck his hand in James face.
"I just wanted to rock him to sleep," James said of the move. "I was able to drop [the shot]."
Giannis Antetokounmpo's wingspan is 7-foot-4 and, at age 20, he's spry and rangy. Short of the defensive wunderkind Kawhi Leonard, Antetokounmpo is an ideal player to try on James in such a spot. He very well may have been able to rise with James and challenge or perhaps change the shot.
Antetokounmpo, however, was on the bench at that moment, where he had been all night. Bucks coach Jason Kidd benched him for the game, apparently without warning. Kidd said before the game he had decided to change the starting lineup and was inserting Dudley ahead of the so-called Greek Freak but indicated he'd still play. He did not.
After the game Kidd refused to elaborate as to why, growing increasingly irritated as he repeatedly called it a "coach's decision." Antetokounmpo had been the only Buck to play in every game this season.
After playing him heavy minutes for much of the year -- he was one of the league's leaders in minutes played in the month of March -- Kidd sliced Antetokounmpo's minutes over the past week. He played 28 minutes in each of the previous three games after averaging 38 minutes over the 15 games before it.
"Coach's decision. I really respect it; it's not in my hands," Antetokounmpo said. "I really don't know. It was coach's decision. He didn't tell me."
Beyond that bit of as yet unexplained intrigue, the Cavs' eighth victory in their last nine games wrapped up the No. 2 overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and clinched the Central Division title.
This triggered two pieces of interesting history, one more relevant than the other. It was the seventh consecutive season that James has been part of a division winner, though with two different teams. It won't be on James' Hall of Fame plaque but it isn't everyday a player garners a career achievement that the likes of Michael Jordan didn't.
The other and more germane to the near future is this is the fifth time in James' career he'll head into the postseason as the No. 2 seed. The previous four times his team reached the NBA Finals. In 2007, the Cavs upset the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons in the conference finals. In 2011, his Miami Heat took out the No. 1-seeded Chicago Bulls. And last season the Heat eliminated the top-seeded Indiana Pacers. In all, James has won four series in his career when he hasn't had the home-court advantage, something that is notable as the Cavs attempt to make a run.
"It just happened that way," James said, shrugging over the No. 2 seed success. "It's great to be on your home floor as many games as possible. But I thrive on the road, I love playing on the road in the playoffs more than home. There's something about that adversity."
It also must be noted that only one of the four times James reached the Finals as a No. 2 seed he won a title, in 2012 over the Thunder.
"It's great to be on your home floor as many games as possible. But I thrive on the road, I love playing on the road in the playoffs more than home. There's something about that adversity."LeBron James
Though he made no definitive proclamation, James hinted he might sit the next two games, which both happen to be against the Boston Celtics. With the Celtics in a fight to clinch a playoff spot and with the bottom six seeds in the conference still in flux, this potential development could have an affect on things.
This could trigger some conspiracy theories because it would seem to favor the Celtics and hurt other teams trying to catch and pass Boston, including James' old teammates in Miami, who need the Celtics to lose.
However, it is more a function of the schedule than anything. Friday against the Celtics is a natural day to rest with the No. 2 spot clinched. Sunday in Boston is the start of a back-to-back and it is doubtful the Cavs would play any of their stars in both games. James may opt not to skip back-to-back home games and play Monday.
"I always like to take 1-2 games off before the postseason and use the time off to get in good form," James said.
The Cavs actually clinched midway through the third quarter when the Bulls lost in Orlando. They didn't know it, it just seemed like it when they blew a 15-point lead and eventually let the Bucks get ahead. But Kyrie Irving had 27 points and James had 21 including the late 3 and that was that. It wasn't a command performance but it didn't have to be.
The divisional banner is on order and for a team that's had plenty of bumps, that doesn't mean nothing.
"I think the whole year, people have sort of put the cart before the horse with our team," Cavs coach David Blatt said. "No one has allowed us the luxury of developing and progressing in a normal way. I think we've faced that challenge. We see teams every night that bring their A game."