Cavaliers’ hopes for rebound hinge on LeBron’s intellect
OAKLAND, Calif. — LeBron James has taken on the role of Atlas, not just for his team, but for a league hoping against hope the NBA Finals will redeem a dull playoff season. In Game 2, he submitted a triple-double with 28 points and 14 assists, and it was not enough to avoid a second consecutive blowout loss to the technicolor Golden State Warriors. As the series shifts back to Cleveland, he must do even more, starting with his mind.
The fate of the Finals rests on the Cavaliers to divine, if possible, a means of countering the vast and varied weaponry of the Warriors. That means the series may hinge on James’s immense basketball intellect. Last year, the Cavaliers’ adjustments, many spurred by James, allowed them to overcome a 2-0 deficit. It will be an even taller task now, with the Warriors deploying Kevin Durant.
“They’re a different team,” James said. “You guys asked me ‘What was the difference?’ And I told you. They’re a different
Warriors vs. Cavaliers
Warriors lead series 2-0. Game 3: 8 p.m. Wednesday. Where: Cleveland TV: ABC.
team.”
James will now have to find a way to combat the Warriors with Durant. James downplayed his impact on Cleveland’s strategy.
“That’s a coach (Tyronn) Lue question,” James said. “I don’t put the game plan together.”
But nobody believes James has no say about Cleveland’s strategy. The Cavaliers count on James for everything, and he is a vocal part of their planning. Lue and his staff solicit ideas from James. Coaches said the Cavaliers also rely on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for feedback on how to attack or defend opponents. James’s status as the clear leader of the franchise differentiates him. More than anything, perhaps, his mind sets him apart.
“That’s what makes
him the best player in the world,” said Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones, long a close confidante of James. “Not only does he have the physical attributes. He thinks the game. He understands the game on all levels.”
“He sees things before they even happen,” Cavaliers assistant coach Larry Drew said. “He can look at an offensive alignment by the opposition, and he can tell you exactly what they’re going to do, what they’re looking for. He is an extension of the coach, that’s without a doubt. He’s so focused on what the other team is doing.”
Independent student
Last year, after they fell behind three games to one in Cleveland, teammates huddled around James’ tablet computer. The informal meeting helped shape Cleveland’s plan to slow the pace and hammer Stephen Curry with pick-and-rolls.
“He’s a student of the game,” forward Tristan Thompson said between Game 1 and Game 2. “He’s watching film just as much as the coaches. He wants to see what’s out there, what adjustments we could make to be better. Him and Kyrie, they’re our coaches on the floor. He’s probably watched the game a couple times already, wants to see what areas we could be better at and where we could have the advantages.”
James is largely an independent student. When he arrives for a team scouting session, he can already describe plays the opponent will run based on their personnel and positioning.
“I can’t recall being associated with a team and a player like LeBron that is so locked in, so knowledgeable about everything the opponent does,” Drew said. “When I say everything, I mean everything. From tendencies of different individuals to the playsets, to where everybody is and what they’re doing. He does his homework. He really does his homework. I can see that he really takes a lot of pride in that.”
In the 48 hours before Game 3, James would devour film of the first two games. He said last year’s Finals would have little bearing on his outlook, even from an encouragement standpoint.
“I’m not a past person,” James said.
“I don’t want to get into the ‘what we need to do better’ right now,” James said after the loss Sunday night. “The game is too fresh. We’re going to go home and watch the film to see ways we can be better. Do things — I don’t want to say differently because you work so hard to get to this point — but make a couple of changes to see if we can be a lot better defensively and offensively. I thought for the most part with the game plan that we had, we tried to execute it as close as possible.”
Confidence not waning
Faced with grim odds, James has flashed irascibility. He refused to hold a postgame press conference after Game 2, instead speaking to reporters in a scrum inside Cleveland’s locker room. James opted for the setting because of his ire toward the NBA after he had to wait outside the interview room for prior sessions. Asked an admittedly frivolous question about needing to win at home, James replied, “Well, are you a smart guy?”
But he has also shown belief. He remains the best player in the world, and if there is any basketball mind capable of solving
the Warriors, if that answer even exists, it would be James.
“I always feel good,” James said. “Why not?”