By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Every time LeBron James faces the Cleveland Cavaliers things can become interesting in a hurry, not always in a kind way.
James, 37, acknowledging defeat Sunday delivered praise to the team drafting him in 2003 and his NBA home in two separate stints from 2003 to 2010 and 2014 to 2018, including the 2016 championship.
“They did a great job in the offseason of picking up a big-time player,” the Ohio-born superstar said referring to the addition of Donovan Mitchell via trade ahead of the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season.
On NBA Sundays, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Cavs at home and dropped to 2-7. His former team instead jumped to 8-1, trailing only the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks on both the Eastern Conference and league standings.
“They have a really good team and a great coach. A well-balanced team and a bunch of players. They just really want to play ball,” commented James reviewing the boxscore sheet during the postgame press conference, “You don’t see too many guys showing off on social media. A bunch of guys coming to work and just wanting to play ball. It is probably a joy for a coach.”
A gap of 2.5 games already separates the Lakers from the Play-Ins of the Western Conference. “Our record is our record. We played some very good teams,” noted the four-time NBA champion.
Over the first nine games of the 2022-23 season, James averaged 24.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks per contest.
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