LeBron James has had some solid teammates throughout his career, but none better than Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving.
On Wednesday afternoon during the Cavs practice, James was asked about how his current teammate Irving compares to former teammate Wade.
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports:
“I mean, they’re both special in their own right,” James said. “Obviously Wade is a little older and has experienced a little bit more but as far as the fourth quarter, they both thrive on that in their life,” James said. “They love the pressure situation and are not afraid to take the shot or if they miss a shot they’re not afraid to take the blame either. So I’ve been fortunate to play with two great guys.”
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Irving and Wade both aren’t afraid to take those big shots, and when they’ve had the hot hand, LeBron has helped them go off by putting them in good scoring positions. Vardon points out why this postseason has been great for LeBron despite not leading in scoring, something that hasn’t brought good results in the past.
Through two playoff series, Irving leads the Cavs in scoring – averaging 24.4 points per game to James’ 23.5. No James teammate has ever led in scoring this late in the playoffs; in Cleveland’s first-round sweep of Detroit Irving became the first since Wade to lead a James team in scoring for an entire series.
The difference: Wade led the Heat in scoring when Miami lost the 2011 Finals to Dallas and James suffered through his worst series as a pro. The Cavs haven’t lost a game in these playoffs with Irving co-piloting the ship.
With Irving doing the scoring and LeBron doing the creating and dishing, James can preserve a lot of energy for when his team needs it the most: the fourth quarter. Irving is leading the Cavs this postseason with 24.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game alongside Love’s 19.8 points, 13 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. James can take it a little easy and is still averaging a relatively quiet 23.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists.
