On Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be on the road for the first game of a back-to-back set. First, the Cavs square off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at 7 p.m. EST inside the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Then it’s right back to action on Saturday, when the Cavs will serve as hosts to the Orlando Magic in an 8 p.m. EST showdown.
As most hoops fans know, Cavs superstar LeBron James has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury for the past few weeks. The injury, which forced the Akron, Ohio native to miss four of his team’s preseason primers, did not cause him to miss his team’s season opener against Kyrie Irving and the Boston Cletics on Tuesday night.
Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com
There was some concern as to whether or not James would play against the Celtics on Tuesday night. However, in true LeBron-like fashion, the former St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School standout simply laced up his “EQUALITY” sneakers and proceeded to post 29 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks in his 41 minutes of playing time. Impressive stats, right? Well, James would beg to differ. In fact, the three-time champion noted that he was “out of shape” after Tuesday night’s win.
“I’m out of shape,” James said. “Very out of shape for my expectations and rightfully so. I haven’t been able to play through the preseason. I played one game, re-injured my ankle.”
“I don’t like where I’m at right now, but we got some practice,” James continued. “These games are gonna help me out. I’m out of shape, but the most important thing is: we got the win.”
@SI/Twitter
Now, with a couple of days off, it sounds like the King will be ready for action on Friday night. According to a report from Joe Vardon of cleveland.com, James is expected to play against the Bucks.
Will the Cavs, now 1-0, be able to post their first winning streak of the season? Or will the Bucks, who are also holding a 1-0 record, carry the day? Only time will tell.
