When LeBron James fell asleep on defense in the first quarter of Game 1 against the Warriors, it looked like this:
LeBron James was anything but The King trying to defend Steph Curry and Kevin Durant
The King has to be better, especially on defense.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
When LeBron then found himself on Stephen Curry later on in the third quarter, that possession ended like this:
OK, James may have slipped while closing out on Kevin Durant. We can call that a tax write-off. But he got fooled by Curry on that deft in-and-out move coming over a screen.
If there was ever a time to get some ankle insurance, it probably would have been during the timeout after James peeled himself off the floor following Durant’s rack attack. Instead, he got shook out of his sneakers — and Game 1 — gambling on defense.
The point is simple: LeBron has to be better.
James sets the tone defensively, and if the Cavs’ leader is getting cooked by the opposing team’s two best players, how are the role players supposed to do their jobs confidently? Players James defended in Game 1 shot 7-of-12 from the field in Game 1 — that’s 58 percent, and that’s unacceptable.
LeBron’s energy is contagious, and it didn’t look like he had much after playing the entire first quarter and just under 10 minutes in the second. It isn’t just James — everyone in Cleveland has to be better.
But it starts with The King, and he’s gotta pick it up on defense.
