Drummond was just 4 of 16 from the line. Johnson said. “He laces his shoes up the same way I lace mine up”.
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Dwyane Wade had 28 points and eight assists, Hassan Whiteside made all eight of his shots and finished with 17 points, helping Miami beat Charlotte to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference first-round series.
Van Gundy, who has made some controversial comments of his own regarding James in this series, admitted even he cringed when he first saw what Johnson said. Channing Frye did notch some minutes (11) after sitting in game one, and between he, veteran Richard Jefferson and Matthew Dellavadova, the three combined to be a +68 from the floor. And while the Cavs won easily following an explosion in the game’s last 18 minutes, they struggled with the Pistons through the first 30.
“He didn’t bump me, I just didn’t move my direction”. I don’t know what y’all take from that.
Johnson has been outspoken throughout the series about his belief that he could give James problems on the defensive end. “But I wanted to let him know what my concerns were, and so we talked about it. I thought it was good, and I thought that he understood and received it well”.
Per ESPN, with Johnson defending him, James has scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first two games of the series, including 6-of-6 shooting in Game 2. There’s only seven or eight players who play, I don’t see why the other players are talking.
Cleveland went into halftime up by two, but they really turned on the jets coming out of the locker room as they were getting out in transition, continuing to knock down jumpers from the outside, and making the shots Detroit was getting tough on them.
Before Game 2, Van Gundy was confident his young squad was capable of playing better than it did in the opener. But Van Gundy said perspective must be taken into account. “Through this process we quickly identified Tom as the best leader to shape our talented team and help them realize their full potential”. Jackson finished the game with 14 points, scoring just once in the second half.
NOTES: Cleveland G Mo Williams was inactive again for Game 2.
The Clippers also showcased their improved defense on Wednesday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles, holding the Blazers’ star point guard, Damian Lillard, to 17 points on 6-of-22 shooting from the field.
The biggest 3 in the spurt came from James, who after knocking down his shot, raised three fingers on both hands while standing just a few feet away from Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy.
“He’s a 19-year-old kid going through this for the first time”, Van Gundy said. Talk to you Friday after Game 3 at the Palace.
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While Johnson has respect for James’ stature in the game, he said that he’s refused to be intimidated by the fact that he’s a rookie facing a future Hall of Famer.
