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LeBron lifts team despite finger injury Posted: Thursday March 13, 2003 11:12 PMTOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- LeBron James put on a pre-game dunking exhibition, and then he demonstrated he could do much more than jam. Not even a torn fingernail slowed him down. James showed just why he is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft by hitting three 3-pointers and dishing out nine assists -- each one drawing oohs and ahhs from the crowd Thursday night. He finished with 19 points to lead Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary to an 82-32 victory over Tallmadge in a Division II regional semifinal. Nothing got in his way until he bent back the nail on his right index finger when his hand hit the rim on a blocked shot late in the first half. James swatted the shot, grabbed the ball and called time-out while bending over in pain. He went to the bench shaking his hand and grimacing. "It was hurting pretty bad," said St. Vincent coach Dru Joyce II. James didn't speak to reporters after the game, but Joyce said his star would be ready for his next game on Saturday. With a green and white Band-Aid on his finger, James came out in the second half dancing on the court. A reverse dunk and a no-look pass between his legs to a trailing teammate proved he was just fine. Another thunderous dunk off an in-bounds pass gave the Fighting Irish a 58-14 lead with two minutes to go in the third quarter. James, a 6-foot-8 senior, spent the last quarter on the bench, fidgeting with his bandaged finger. Even though he played well after the injury, he cradled his hand against his body to protect the finger. He seemed more interested in setting up his teammates in the opening quarter than scoring. He had three assists in the quarter and didn't take a shot until six minutes into the game. But with each no-look pass and long-range shot, he became more animated. After one 3-pointer he strutted back up the court blowing on his fingers. A few possessions later, he jumped into the air and threw a bullet pass to Corey Jones for a layup, and then James stopped to flex his muscles along the sideline. "He was amazing," said Dion Harvey, a forward for Tallmadge (14-10). "It was real fun. I think we enjoyed it." James put on a show from the first minute he stepped on the court for the pre-game warmup with reverse dunks and alley-oop slams. Even the referees and a couple of Tallmadge players couldn't help from sneaking looks -- all the while shaking their heads and smiling. Tallmadge students tried to distract James, chanting "overrated," but it only fired him up. The game was a near sellout at the University of Toledo. Earlier in the morning, fans lined up throughout the arena to gobble up about 1,500 tickets that those schools didn't sell to their fans. James needs just three more victories to win his third state title in four years -- the only tournament loss coming in last year's state championship game. The Fighting Irish (23-1) will play Ottawa-Glandorf Saturday for a trip to the state final four in Columbus. |
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