Interesting article on Lebron last game, from Rick at Waiting for Next Year:
http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=5433
What I Learned From My Summer Vacation: LeBron James
Sorry to be so LeBron heavy the last couple of days, but I promise this isn’t another one of those stories.
I watched the Cavaliers treat Golden State like annoying siblings last night. Hopefully you did too. These really are fun games to watch. The Warriors charged out of the gate slashing and shooting the lights out of the building. It was quite an impressive start, especially against a Cavs team that has been dominating from the opening tip lately. But as I watched the Warriors run up an early lead, I saw something I’ve never seen out of a LeBron James led Cavalier team- restraint. I could be wrong, but in the middle of the Golden State run I swear I saw LeBron look at Mike Brown and ask him not to take a time out. LeBron wanted to play through. He didn’t want Golden State to get the mental edge of thinking they forced a time out. He didn’t want his coach to have to tell them what they weren’t doing right. He also knew that Golden State wouldn’t keep making every shot.
But there is more. LeBron didn’t think that he had to make up the 15 point difference himself. In fact, LeBron attempted only 13 shots in the game. Read that again. He only attempted 13 shots in 31 minutes of playing time. As Brian Windhorst points out, there was a stretch during the third quarter where the Cavs put the Warriors away, stretching the lead from 6 to 18 points without LeBron James making a basket. LeBron is feeling so comfortable with this team that he even compared them to team USA-
“The way we’re getting into our offense and picking teams apart, you can relate to [Team USA],” James said. “It was good to be a part of it in the summer and it has been great so far.”
Now, I’m certainly not going to compare the talent on the Cavs to that of the collection of superstars that brought home the Gold medal. One thing should be clear however, LeBron might have learned to trust his teammates during that experience. It helps that the surrounding cast is finally playing up to their potential. The addition of Mo Williams has been phenomenal. Delonte West is playing his best ball as a pro, and Daniel Gibson is starting to play aggressively going to the hoop instead of simply being a perimeter player. Ben Wallace is back defensively, and Z is rolling along as consistent as ever. Throw in a healthy Andy Varejao, and a focused Wally Szczerbiak, and you have yourself a deep team.
So is it the chicken or the egg? Is LeBron trusting his cast because they are producing, or is the cast producing because LeBron is setting the offense up for success? You know what? I don’t even care. The pieces are falling into place for the Cavaliers to seriously challenge for the whole thing this year. But make no mistake, I also saw part of the Lakers game last night. They are for real this year too. Boston, LA, and Cleveland. I believe the NBA champ will be one of those three. Man I hope it’s us for once.
~Lyuokdea