VIDEO: LeBron's teammates now taking his baskets out of the net

LeBron James's 175th career playoff game may prove his most difficult.

Already shouldering a historically difficult offensive load for a woefully shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers team, James's teammates are now actively making things more difficult for him. It's a bold strategy.

In the second quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday, James drove the lane for a layup amid several Golden State Warriors bodies, and it dropped. But then Tristan Thompson flew by the hoop for a potential offensive rebound - it's his primary function, after all - and when he met contact, his right arm poked James's layup out of the basket.

Offensive goaltending was called on the play, and the basket didn't count. It's worth noting for later that the bucket would have put Cleveland up 40-34 at the time - you know, just in case they lose by one or two.

While Thompson's spent the playoffs earning himself a larger and larger paycheck this summer, this play must have had Rich Paul pulling his hair out.