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LeBron James’ top 5 villainous performances against the Toronto Raptors

By William Ricks

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby - (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James and Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby - (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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LeBron James against the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

2. 2018 Eastern Conference Semifinals: Game 2

This game and this performance by LeBron James went down in infamy. This was the game that Toronto was officially changed to “LeBronto” (not officially, but it could’ve been).

James was playing like a mad man, scoring and assisting his fellow teammates with ease. The Toronto Raptors did have a two-point lead going into the half of this game. That lead did not last for long.

In the third quarter, LeBron was absolutely sinister on the court. He shot 70-percent from the field and had a stat line of 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists in that period alone. He helped the Cavs retake the lead and never looked back, pulling away from Toronto by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.

James finished the contest with 43 points on 19-28 shooting, along with 14 assist and eight boards.

Even though that night is widely remembered as “LeBronto Night”, it could also be remembered as the fadeaway night. LeBron James post game has always been elite, and it has only grown as he matured and moved further along in his NBA career. In this contest, his fadeaway shot was unguardable, as he hit many difficult faders. This is a prime example of a villain using his power move in order to defeat the opposition in his way.

It didn’t matter who was defending James when he did work in the low post. From Kyle Lowry to DeMar DeRozan, to OG Anunoby, and even a young Pascal Siakam, they all fell victim to Lebron’s fadeaway game that night. It was one of those nights that when LeBron gets into a shooting rhythm, it is impossible to stop him.

When you tyrannize an opponent so bad that the city is named after you (and actually sounds good), you know that player is a baaaaaaad man! (Stephen A. Smith voice). When you throw in difficult faders and an explosive third quarter, it’s hard to argue that this is one of LeBron’s most masterful performances against the Raptors.

James’ performance in game two was the beginning of the end of the Toronto Raptors’ playoff run that season.