SAN ANTONIO – LeBron James' pass flashed into the far corner, the proper play out of the planet's peerless player. Game on the line, the sport's unstoppable force on his way to the rim, and his eyes caught Chris Bosh awaiting the catch on the biggest shot of the season. They've forever praised James for this play, forever damned him – one more polarizing choice of the most polarizing athlete of our time.

For all the relentless debates and examinations – Just score the ball, LeBron! Just do it yourself! – James plays the game with a most unassailable code, with a most unwavering sense of loyalty and trust. Bosh had missed that corner 3-pointer in a playoff loss to Indiana, and it didn't matter in the moment of truth on Sunday night at the AT&T Center.

James had 35 points and 10 rebounds now, had brought the San Antonio Spurs to their knees in Game 2, the way cramps brought him to his own in Game 1. This was the final stroke of a Picasso, a 98-96 victory over the Spurs to tie these NBA Finals 1-1 on their way back to the shores of Biscayne Bay.

"It's the theater of the absurd when you're dealing with what plays he makes at the end of the game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

View photos LeBron James totaled 35 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in Game 2. (AP) More

So, so perfect: the theater of the absurd. There's a robotic precision to his choices. They don't always work out – sometimes there's a make, sometimes a miss – but amazingly, most still stand up to the power of hindsight. Here it was, time running out, the Heat down a point, and once that San Antonio defense descended onto his drive – once Tim Duncan left Bosh in pursuit of James and the ball – LeBron whipped the pass into the far corner, out of his All-World hands and into those of an All-Star.

"Even if he's hot, he'll still hit you if you're wide open," Bosh said. "He's the most unselfish player I've ever played with."

This was a genius performance out of James, a superstar flexing at the apex of his abilities, the meshing of body and mind and experience that almost makes resistance futile.

The NBA doesn't have great rivalries right now. It doesn't have tremendously charismatic superstars in primes. There are some nice guys, spectacular talents, but James is the most transcendent in sports now. Mostly, there's him and everyone else; NBA storylines that are simply moons of James. The sheer pressure and prospect of catching the Heat combusted the Pacers. The Pacers weren't under a fraction of the scrutiny and pressure of these Heat, and yet they couldn't come close to withstanding it all. They fell apart.

Everyone watched the way the Heat crumbled in the final minutes without James in Game 1. Without him, they can't function at a high level. Yet, he's carrying so much more than that franchise. As much as ever, James carries the NBA. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant stole James' MVP trophy this year, but he couldn't find his way to the Finals to steal James' championship. James is the best player. He's the social conscience, as comfortable speaking out on Trayvon Martin and Donald Sterling as he is versed on the history of the game and those who came before him.

Perhaps no one has clutched him tighter than his childhood friends, Rich Paul, the agent, and Maverick Carter, the marketing man. He has bankrolled the agency, the marketing company that included a guest at Sunday night's game wearing a backward Cleveland Cavaliers cap – Johnny Manziel.

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