Leading off: breaking the ban

LeBron James lifted his personal media boycott during the playoffs to phone a friend. Cleveland’s superstar does everything he can to block out distractions during the post-season: turning off his cellphone, avoiding Twitter and watching NBA games only with the sound muted. But he made an exception on Saturday, when close friend Chris Paul made a game- winning layup in the final seconds of Game 7 to send the Los Angeles Clippers past the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. “I called him from my wife’s phone,” James said following Monday’s shootaround as the Cavs prepared to face Chicago in the Eastern Conference semifinals. “He answered the phone and was like ’Wassup?’ I told him ’don’t say nothing, you’re not allowed to reply, you’re not allowed to say anything.’ I told him how amazing he was and how great he was and I hung up on him. “I haven’t spoken to him since, it’s the truth.” James said it was difficult to stay off Twitter, but he’s glad he did. “I had a lot of comments, and thank God I didn’t have social media because there’d be some story lines today,” he said. “It’s been a protection for me. The Associated Press