CLEVELAND, March 22 (US): LeBron James smashed them all—vanishing jump, hover shot, some signature dive, one over former teammate and friend Kevin Love, the patented chalk toss.
Back home, and in front of fans who know him almost like his family, James has shown that he’s still the dominant force in the game, The Associated Press reports.
James scored 38 points, scored another hat-trick and evoked memories of his time in Cleveland, to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 131-120 victory on Monday over the Cavaliers, which had a horrific defensive night.
It was James’ only visit to his home this season – other than last month’s All-Star Game – and the Akron star has thrilled fans who have followed him since he was a child. He added 10 rebounds and 12 assists to his 105th career three-pointer and sixth of the season.
“I’m completely out of words,” said Lakers coach Frank Vogel. “I don’t have any more. He was in control, and he had a groove the whole time on his old teammate – his old friend, and I’m sure they enjoyed it and would talk about it. What a hell of a night.”
James played 11 seasons in two stints with the Cleveland club, who are trying to return to the playoffs for the first time since his departure in 2018. The 37-year-old said playing in front of the Cleveland fans would always do his best. .
“They’ve pretty much seen my whole life in basketball,” he said. “Either they saw me or heard about him, who is this kid from 40 minutes south here playing ball at the age of 9, 10, 11, 12? Who is this kid LeBron? And they went to see me or they saw me when I came to Cleveland and I played in the AAU tournaments and they saw me play in High school games in the Cleveland area, so they’ve seen me for about 30 years, ever since I got into basketball.
“That is the difference between this arena and every other arena in the world.”
James is trying to keep the Lakers in a post-season image in what so far has been a disappointing season. They are ninth in the Western Conference, but as long as they have James, they have a chance.
He’s heard all the stories about the Lakers – too old, too mischievous and too detached – and can’t be bothered.
“None of those things matter to me,” he said. “I enjoy playing a game of basketball. Once I leave the arena, I leave it there. I really make the time of my life now. I work through it and we work through it and that’s all that matters.”
Russell Westbrook, who had a bad season, had 20 and 11 assists, and DJ Augustin added 20 points, making all three-pointers.
“There is nothing better than silencing people,” Westbrook said.
Darius Garland scored 29 goals and added 17 assists for Cleveland, which led Toronto one game away from sixth in the East. The Cavs play the Raptors on Thursday night.
Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff was angered by his young team’s performance.
We got caught up in the show,” Bickerstaff said. “We let this moment pass us by. You ask yourself were we really competing to win or were we just a part of it? I think tonight we were mostly just a part of it.”
James scored five points as the Lakers opened the fourth quarter with a 12-2 lead to go up by nine points. Cleveland was still close at hand when James, as he has done so many times with so many teams before, put the Cavs away with a dunk and a resounding crossover in the last 2:34.
After his post-match TV interview, James left his hands with fans on his way to the locker room.
James improved to 17-1 in games against Cleveland. He averaged 29.6 points against Cleveland – his most against any opponent.
The best player and four-time champion was cheered from the moment he ran across the floor to warm up. He received a huge welcome during player introductions and again in the first quarter timeout when Cleveland FC saluted him for being the number 2 scorer in league history.
James waved, patted his heart, put his hands together as if in prayer and bowed toward the Cleveland crowd.
It had just started.
Hint
Lakers: Stanley Johnson scored all 12 of his points for fourth. …Anthony Davis, who has been out since Feb. 16 with a sprained foot, had a lengthy pre-game training on the floor. It remains unclear when – or if – he will return this season. …G Talen Horton-Tucker (left ankle sprain) sat for the second time in three matches.
Cavaliers: All-Star player Jarrett Allen (broken finger) missed his eighth game in a row. Allen finished second in the NBA with 677 field goals and had enough hits to qualify for the end-of-season lead… G Rajon Rondo (sprained ankle) and F Den Wade (knee soreness) were inactive for the fifth games in a row. .
next one
Lakers: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit Toronto on Thursday night.