James: Cavs have ‘great chance’ to repeat
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — After all the injuries, after a 51-win season that feels like a disappointment, LeBron James said he believes the defending champion Cavaliers can still do “something special” and win it all.
He didn’t say why, but his coyness and body language gave it away. All who surrounded him after practice Thursday knew what he meant.
“I’ve got the answer. I’m not giving it to you,” he said. “But I’ve got the answer why I feel like we’ve got a great chance.”
His presence is the reason. The way his 32-year-old body feels is the reason. The fact that he became the first player in NBA history to average 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while shooting 54 percent from the field is the reason.
But the Cavs stumbled down the stretch, going 21-20 in the second half of the season, 10-14 since March 1.
Perhaps only James knows how much he was saving for the playoffs, how much he has in reserve. In his 14th season in the league, he may have reined himself in earlier than usual as he seeks to make his seventh consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.
But he said he woke up Thursday “very excited about today” and found the opportunity to practice “refreshing.”
The Golden State Warriors are overwhelming favorites to win this year’s title. That’s just the way James likes it as he prepares for the Cavs’ first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, which opens Saturday at 3 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena.
James was ready to turn the page on the regular season.
He wanted to forget about the loss of center Andrew Bogut 58 seconds into his Cavs debut, about J.R. Smith’s fractured right thumb in December and Kevin Love’s knee surgery on Valentine’s Day.
He didn’t want to discuss why the Cavs blew consecutive games against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and Sunday, leading coach Tyronn Lue to rest the Big Three and concede the top seed to the Boston Celtics.
James has confidence in his team, and he didn’t want anyone to try to tear that down.
“You guys can harp on the regular season. I’m not one to do it, not with the postseason starting right now," he said. "You guys are trying to drain my energy. I just told you I feel great. Don’t do that to me. I feel good. I’m not going backwards.”