James suffered through a bruised quad in the 101-97 victory, nailing seven free throws down the stretch to help push the Cavs over the top.
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Thus far this season, the Cavs have balanced winning games and not burning out James. Aside from great plays and performances, Cavaliers one secret for success is their open communication, inside and outside the court. “To his credit, a player at his level could easily take the summer off, but he doesn’t, and you can see how hard he worked now”. “The guy is unbelievable”.
Whatever the exact words James used to motivate Love, for sure it was really effective.
Monta Ellis added 25 points for IN and even gave the Pacers the 90-88 lead with a corner three-pointer. George quickly countered with a 3-pointer, but the Cavs broke the Pacers’ press coming out of a timeout and the ball ended up in Love’s hands for the uncontested dunk, clinching the game and Love’s finest night of the season. He said last month he hoped to play in all 82 regular-season games. He was 10 of 23 from field and came within two points of matching his season high, recorded Friday.
With his eighth field goal against the Pacers, James passed Jerry West (9,016) for 19th in league history.
Kevin Durant put up 32 points and 11 rebounds in the 124-103 win, while Russell Westbrook provided 21 points, 13 assists and six rebounds. “Glad to have you back”, said LeBron, hitting Paul George in the chest.
“I started off pretty well but I got hit again in the third quarter, so it was really, really sore”, James said. “It’s on us to get us where we want to go”. Crew chief Joe Crawford had to exit in the third quarter because his right knee locked up and he was unable to run, although it didn’t impact the game. Maybe it also has to do with his personal relationship with James, which was rumored to be rocky last season.
Love responded with a huge second half and James sealed it by suggesting the play call to Love that ultimately clinched the victory.
LeBron says that egos have to be checked at the door in Cleveland’s title quest. “So I told him if he would just get his motor going offensively, the ball would start to go in for him and try to get a few easy ones for you. I know him now after spending a lot of time with him and he still has another gear, but he does look ahead of where he was at the same point of last season, no question”. He’s a guy that’s a leader.
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Perhaps the biggest reason the team has been able to succeed, despite missing one superstar, another player is reclaiming that status. Miles and Rodney Stuckey, so neither team was at optimal strength. Taking care of the basketball is something the Jazz do very well, averaging just 12.7 turnovers per game. No longer was he The Man on the team; no longer would he get as many shots; no longer would he take the final shot; no longer was the team built around him. In the win, point guard Trey Burke scored 24 points off the bench.
