LeBron James had a spectacular 46-point night in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-108 victory over his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his main inspiration for his performance was Tom Brady.
Last Sunday, Brady secured his 10th career Super Bowl trip in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ victory in the NFC Championship Game over the Green Bay Packers.
“Of course you are inspired by watching the greats play. Seeing Brady do what he did with his team inspired me too, but overall, it felt really good, “said James after his performance in Cleveland. “I have been improving each game as the season progresses and I felt confident from the beginning and I stayed that way.”
James, who also had eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals, was born in Ohio and his last visit to Cleveland, as on other occasions, was special.
Under strict health and safety protocols, he was able to see his mother and uncle. The only difference from other visits was that due to the pandemic, he was unable to stay overnight at home and had to stay at the hotel with the rest of the team.
“My mom’s food (was the difference),” James said with a smile. “It felt good to be home, it is my refuge, my refuge to rest. It will always be special. I have been playing in the NBA for 18 years and of those, I have spent 11 here. First seven and then four.
“I’ve seen everything (the Cavs) have been through since before I got here: build, build and build until that championship came in 2016. They are things I will never forget,” he added.
At 36, nothing seems to stop James, who has a solid shooting effectiveness. Against the Cavs he made 19 of 26 shots from the field and seven of 11 triples.
“I always want to keep improving, to the point where I can also dictate what the defense does and the defense dictate what I have to do. When you are younger, you are learning. Your game is not where it should be, but it’s okay, because I understood that when you want to be the best at what you do, it takes time and overcome adversity over adversity, “he said.
The Lakers got off to a quick start in the game after going up by 14 points. In the third quarter, the Cavaliers looked to return and even managed to get ahead, but James did not allow them to enjoy.
In the last quarter, James scored 21 points against 17 for the entire Cleveland team to secure the victory for Los Angeles.
There was another external factor that added fuel to LeBron’s fire. In the final stretch of the third quarter, when the “King” missed one of his shots, a Cleveland manager celebrated for James’ failure, something that did not go unnoticed by the Lakers star.
“Yes, (the manager) is someone I know. He looked too excited to see me fail, that’s what happened. Obviously, he has to support his team and he did it a bit over the top for my taste, but I knew he still had another quarter and the last set is my favorite, ”said James.
Anthony Davis finished with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.
“When LeBron is playing that way, it’s fun to watch. Since he started the game and had 19 or 17 points, I thought, ‘This is over. He wasn’t failing, he was appearing all over the floor, ”shared Davis.
The victory over Cleveland is the tenth for the Angelenos away from home, a line in which they remain undefeated this season. On Wednesday they will have a tough confrontation at the home of the leaders of the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers.
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