LeBron James: Confidence in Cavaliers Teammates 'Never Wavered' Amid Criticism
Cleveland Cavaliers not named LeBron James were heavily scrutinized for their (lack of) performance against the Indiana Pacers the first round of the 2018 NBA playoffs.
However, those struggles didn't lead to James losing confidence in his teammates.
After finishing off a second-round sweep of the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, the Cavaliers superstar made it clear that he has always believed in the rest of his squad, via ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:
"At the end of the day, I understand a series isn't won until you win four, so me, personally, my confidence never wavered. It's just who I am. I believe in what I bring to the table and what I can provide to the team, and I believe in my teammates. So as everyone was burying my teammates alive throughout that first-round series, I just continued to tell them, 'Listen, we can't win without each and every one doing their job and being as great as they can be,' and I continued to preach that. So it's impossible for me to lose confidence in our ballclub, no matter what the stakes are or where we're down, because if I do that, then where are we going to go from a team aspect?"
The four-time NBA MVP received heaps of praise for carrying his team to a series victory over the Pacers. During the first round, he averaged 34.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists—and Cleveland still needed seven games to beat Indiana because of the lack of help.
The one-man show became so drastic that Saturday Night Live even poked fun at the "Other Cavs":
James averaged 41.1 minutes during the opening round and played nearly the entire first three quarters of Game 7 before having to take a seat due to leg cramps. After the series, he admitted to feeling "burnt" and "tired."
Well, he now has some time to rest after his teammates helped him pull off a sweep.
James, according to McMenamin, has not seen the SNL sketch—but the public mockery is not something he feels like he has to address in the locker room.
"It's all action to me," James said, via McMenamin. "I don't get caught up in that. But I knew mentally, maybe, what was going on in their head. But for me, it's about, I'm going to show them how much I trust them and how much I believe in them. But it's nothing that I had to say verbally."
Whether or not they saw the skit or online bashing, James' teammates responded in a big way on the court. Kevin Love (20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game against Toronto), J.R. Smith (12.5 points on 63 percent shooting), George Hill (10.3 points and 3.0 assists) and Tristan Thompson (5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds) all stepped up against the Raptors.
James' faith in his teammates was rewarded in the second round. Now, he has to hope they don't leave him hanging with an eighth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
