LeBron James requires stitches after getting busted open by baseline camera

The Cleveland Cavaliers have avoided disaster once again.

For as incredibly as they've played through adversity all playoffs, and especially in the NBA Finals, there's no way they could survive an injury to LeBron James. The Cavs appeared to be Matthew Dellavedova's team for a moment on Thursday following a scary fall for the highest-scoring player through three games in finals history.

James was fouled by Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut while attempting a layup in the second quarter of Game 4. When he landed, he stumbled into the baseline cameras, cutting his head open and drawing blood in the process.

James was shaken up on the play and held a towel to his head for several moments while the cut was glued closed. He'd ultimately shake it off, shoot his free throws from the Bogut foul, and even remain in the game after the fact. But he didn't escape completely unscathed, with a nasty mark left above his right ear despite not requiring stitches.

"Of course I have a headache," James said at halftime.

While the cut was glued shut at the time, James required stitches following the game, though he wasn't sure of the exact number. He also admitted to still having a headache, but said he didn't go through any testing for a potential concussion.

The league's concussion protocol isn't initiated unless a player shows symptoms or a change in "mental status," and as NBA commissioner Adam Silver said on ESPN's halftime show, the fact that the wound could be closed on the court meant James wasn't required to come out of the game.

"The camera cut me pretty bad," James said after the game. "It didn't matter what was going on with my head at that point, I had to shoot the free throws ... so I could stay in the game."

He'd wind up playing 41 minutes, finishing the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists while shooting 7-of-22 from the floor. It was his least dominant performance of the series so far, likely a matter of an improved gameplan from the Warriors and a bad game overall for the Cavs rather than a residual of his head wound.

An injury to James would stand to sink the Cavaliers entirely. Instead, they've escaped with another minor malady on James' long list of reasons for exhaustion. There will now be some rest for the weary, with two days off before Game 5 on Sunday.

The positioning of the baseline cameras has been a point of some consternation in recent NBA seasons. The camera in question was within the designated zone, and this seems to have been an unfortunate accident, but it may be time to explore pushing the camera operators back even further for player safety.

This is also a concern for the camera operators. In this case, it was Peter Winik of NBA Entertainment on the receiving end of a 250-pound super-athlete. Luckily, Winik was no worse for the wear, telling ESPN he was too deep into "game mode" to discuss the matter further. James doesn't have that option.

"If you have a camera, I'm scared of you guys right now," James quipped at his locker after the game.

At least his sense of humor's in tact.