LeBron James and the Cavs are now 0-3 against the Warriors and Spurs this season.
(Photo: David Richard, USA TODAY Sports)
Measured and calm — even humorous at times — with his responses, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James did not overreact to the thorough beating the Golden State Warriors delivered on Monday.
James tried to defuse the importance or big-picture meaning of Golden State’s 132-98 victory, a game in which the Warriors were up 15 in the first quarter, 30 in the second quarter and 43 early in the fourth quarter.
“I’m not going to put too much into it,” James said.
He also said it wasn’t the right time to harp on teammates about the loss.
“There’s nothing to say,” James said. “It’s easy to say something when it’s bad. I like to get on us when we’re doing well, to try and keep us focused. I’m not a kick-a-man-when-you’re-down type of guy. That’s not my motto.”
James even tried to minimize the impact the loss had on his mood.
“It’s not miserable. It’s just not the end of the world,” he said. “It’s still a basketball game. I don’t take it that far.”
Wasn’t it a bad day at the office though?
“I don’t know. I’ve never been in an office,” James said. “I’m fortunate I’ve never been in an office.”
It was one of the worst losses of James’ career — the worst plus-minus (-35), worst home loss (34 points) and largest deficit (43) he has faced in 13 NBA seasons.
He tried to bring perspective to a troubling mid-season loss.
“It’s never as bad and it’s never as good as it may seem when you’re going through it,” James said. “Obviously, you want to play well and especially on a stage like this versus the defending champions. But for me as a leader of this ball club over the last six or seven years, I’ve always been even-keeled about wins and losses, especially at this juncture of the season.”
James is also realistic. He is quite aware the Cavaliers are 0-3 against Golden State and San Antonio, and having won two championships in Miami, he knows what’s required to win those games.
“Against the top teams you want to play well, and we haven’t done that,” James said. “We’re 0-3 versus the top two teams in the West. We’re 0-1 against the Bulls so far. We’ve got to play better basketball.
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SOURCE: USA Today – Jeff Zillgit
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