Golden State Warriors: Six plays that broke LeBron James’ spirit

5. The Chef LeCooks James

Yes, this was a double-dribble. Stephen Curry grabbed the ball with two hands before making his last move. There should have been a whistle there

That doesn’t change the fact that, long before he put his second hand on the basketball, Curry already had LeBron James stumbling. It doesn’t change the fact that Curry finished at the rim over James. He still got cooked.

It’s amazing what Steph Curry can do with two healthy knees. He’s quick. His handles are one of the best ever and he can finish at the rim while under pressure.

This Curry didn’t suffer an MCL sprain. He also didn’t come back early from that injury in order to save his team from Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum then face Russell Westbrook then Kyrie Irving. This one was a little more explosive than the 2016 Curry.

James couldn’t bully this Curry like he did last year. Last Finals, he was blocking the much smaller guard’s shots and then talking trash to him. That was old news though.

Curry cooked him. Despite the violation, he had James right where he wanted him. It was a marvelous display of ball handling and decision making.

It was clear that Curry wanted it. After everything that he had to endure starting with Game 6 of last year’s NBA Finals, he wanted to relieve that frustration. He was determined to put James in a blender.

Despite his size advantage and his prior success, James couldn’t stop this one. He was powerless here. All he could do was stare at the best point guard in basketball as he celebrated.