by Craig Kwasniewski
After an afternoon of football and food, with the rest of the family crashing in the living room, I caught most of the Pacers-Cavaliers game. First off, I'm glad that The Association is trying to establish a Thanksgiving tradition of two relatively marquee games. It's a good way to end the day and it surely beats watching the CSI Minnesota and Law & Order SUV marathons on cable. Also, any chance to catch LeBron James against one of the best team defenses is a good thing.
In a little surprise, the Pacers clamped down on LeBron and handed the Cavaliers a good beating. But there are a lot of little things that the Cavaliers can take from this loss. First off, this Cavaliers team is much like the Chicago Bulls teams in the late 80's. They are putting together talent and are learning to play better ball. They are a good coach and 2 years away from being considered a title contender. I just hope that the Cavaliers ownership and especially LeBron have the patience to grow with this team. Remember, the Bulls went down to Detroit 3 straight years before they became the dominant team of the 90's.
Secondly, even though LeBron had an off night shooting, he didn't let it affect his overall game. In the first half, James was 1 for 8 from the field. But it was a verrrry quiet eight shots. LeBron never tried to force his will on the game and score in the first half. He truely (cliche alert), "let the game come to him." Many all-star caliber players lack this sense of the game. For example, the post-Shaq Kobe will force his way into the game in order to get his 10-15 first-half points, whether it takes 20 shots or not. LeBron, sensing that the defense was focused on himself, looked to work the ball to other options like Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
What will take LeBron to superstar level is that on these off nights, you'll see his effort in other elements pick up. The defense will be fierce and the passing crisp. He's still a few years away from this. But after this game, it's easy to see that LeBron's heading in the right direction.
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