After jumping out to a 20-point lead last night (Thursday) against the Boston Celtics, the NBA’s defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers nearly managed to lose. In fact, the Celtics trimmed Cleveland’s big lead to just one point in the second half. When the dust settled inside Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs had their 24th win of the season, but LeBron James was not happy with his performance.
In a post-win locker room, a visibly frustrated James, who finished Wednesday night’s game with 23 points (9-18 FG), 11 assists, eight rebounds, three blocks, one steal, and a season-high tying eight turnovers in his 44 minutes of playing time, spoke to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, said:
“I think I was horrible tonight. In every facet of the game, I was just pretty bad, and it’s unacceptable. I can’t do that if I want to help this team get to where we want to get to. So if there was a report card, I’d give myself an ‘F’ for tonight’s performance. I just got to be better.”
Tyronn Lue, Cavs Head Coach, tells ESPN that James spoke bluntly with his teammates in the locker room about his game:
“He came to the locker room and the bench and said, ‘My fault. I was terrible tonight. It won’t happen again. He took credit for it and took blame. And we moved on.”
Despite his eight turnovers, James finished just two rebounds shy of yet another triple-double performance. The King also played the final 12 minutes of last night’s game, helping to hold off Boston’s late rally.
James elaborated further on the turnovers, saying:
“My concentration at different parts of the game (was poor). I had eight turnovers, and some of them were just plain stupid turnovers, especially the one that Avery Bradley got in the backcourt. I was just not concentrating on the game, so it’s not always about the statistics or not. It’s about how I go out and I approach the game. So, I was happy that I got two All-Stars alongside me, and I was able to carry us to a win.”
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland’s star point guard, defended James after last night’s win, telling reporters:
“That guy is so special. He gives himself an ‘F,’ and he still ends up with 23, 8 and 11. I mean, I understood (his sentiment) just from the amount of expectations that he puts on himself every single night. He took full accountability just like anyone else in this locker room would, but as the leader of this team, we command a lot from him. He understands that, he wants it, he thrives in that, and I think it’s good.
“That’s what makes the greats great: right there, just taking accountability and then moving forward. Said what he had to say in front of the team and then we move on. That’s what being a great team is really about, just having great players to step up to the plate. Like I said, I wouldn’t give him an ‘F.’ But 23, 8 and 11, still work. With the win? I’ll work with it.”