Lebron Makes A Statement
The Cleveland Cavaliers treat the NBA postseason as if it were a heavyweight fight – they give it a promotional nickname or theme.
This year’s is “Whatever It Takes.”
That can be a tall order. In this case, about 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds.
That order is LeBron “King” James.
The Cavaliers needed everything in the King’s treasury on Wednesday night to even their playoff series with the Indiana Pacers at a game apiece. And the King provided generously.
James scored the first 13 points of the game – and Cleveland’s first 16 – on his way to 29 in the first half and 46 overall in a 100-97 victory. This marked his 20th career postseason game with at least 40 points, tying him for second all-time with Jerry West behind only Michael Jordan (38).
“I just felt like I was in a rhythm,” said James, who also had 12 rebounds in his 40 minutes of playing time.
After the Game 1 loss, coach Tyronn Lue encouraged James to get after it a little more, to look for more shots, not to be so passive. Hard to believe he had to push James, but true. James, after studying the tapes from the first game, took the coach’s advice.
“I think he just did a great job being aggressive and attacking the basket,” Lue said.
Clutch, too. With the lead down to one in the fourth quarter, LeBron hit a pair of free throws with 22.2 seconds left, and then did it again about four seconds later.
Whatever it takes? That was pretty much what it took against the Pacers.
The teams resume their series in Indianapolis on Friday night.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
Is The Future Of Humans More Artificial Than Real?
Amazon Prime Hits 100 Million Subscribers
-
The rookie player shot 8-under 64. At the 150th Open Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland, an up-and-coming golfer made...
-
The Browns will receive a draft pick in exchange. Today, the Cleveland Browns announced that they would be trading...
-
Williams was beaten by Harmony Tan after a lengthy match. Yesterday, tennis star Serena Williams took on Harmony Tan...
-
Cole’s streak lasted until the eighth inning. Last night saw the New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay...
-
Mayweather called the induction one of the highlights of his career. Over the weekend, retired professional boxer Floyd Mayweather...
-
Brady will join up with Fox Sports when he retires. Earlier this year, superstar NFL player Tom Brady temporarily...
-
Zalatoris said watching Woods made him feel something akin to imposter syndrome. Last week saw the first few rounds...
-
The three will play in a featured group in the first two rounds. Since recovering from a severe car...
-
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic criticized the decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players. Recently, the organizers of this...
-
Owen Woodward has been removed from the college team after tackling a player. This week, the baseball teams of...
-
Coach Steve Nash wants to try integrating Ben Simmons into the lineup in the heat of the season. After...
-
Woods is planning on competing in this week’s tournament. The 2022 Masters Tournament is set to begin tomorrow, April...