When Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum delivered a crucial chasedown block in Game 7 of Sunday’s Western Conference semifinal game, it no doubt brought back memories for Cleveland Cavaliers.
That’s because it resembled LeBron James’ iconic block of Andre Iguodala’s shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Following the game, McCollum described his block of Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray’s shot and compared it to James’ memorable stop:
CJ McCollum called his chase-down block tonight "a mini version of LeBron's block on Iggy." 😂#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/fjNGRAGThB
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 12, 2019
“I think it was a turnover that led to a runout, they passed it ahead. Seth [Curry] did a good job of kind of undercutting, like cutting off his (Murray) lane, making him have to go over his head and he put it right there for me. I just went and got it, ‘Bron style. Shout out to my guy ‘Bron from the 330. It was a mini version of ‘Bron’s block on Iggy. I definitely didn’t get up as high. … I might get a picture of that one.”
The 330 reference was a nod to the fact that both McCollum and James share the same hometown area code, with McCollum having grown up in Canton, Ohio and James in nearby Akron. The two players are separated by a decade, with McCollum having been the 10th overall selection in the 2013 NBA draft, while James was the top pick in 2003.
James himself took notice of the play and offered his own tribute:
@CJMcCollum Way to cook sauce bro! 330 boys is different! Congrats 🙏🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 13, 2019
McCollum’s block was just one aspect of what was an incredible overall performance that helped the Trail Blazers advance to the Western Conference finals. He finished with 37 points on 17-of-29 from the field, adding nine rebounds to go along with his block. Two of his baskets came in the final 90 seconds, with his jumper with less than 15 seconds to play giving Portland enough breathing room to win by a score of 100-96.
