Social Buzz About LeBron James' Performance Against Portland Trail Blazers
LeBron James gave the good folks of Twitter something to talk about Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. LeBron probably isn't going to like what they wrote.
That's not a typo. LeBron James, the greatest basketball player in the world, was held to 11 points. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Tuesday was one of the worst games of LeBron's career.
As LeBron probably knows by now, when you have a bad game, the trolls are bound to show up. This tweet from NBA Memes makes reference to LeBron's infamous "Decision."
Twitter user MettaWorldWar got into the act by making a crack about LeBron's recent weight loss.
Sure, it was only his third game back in Cleveland, but where is the passion? That's what ESPN's Brian Windhorst wants to know.
Basketball Insiders analyst Alex Kennedy was just as perplexed by James' lack of effort.
Even LeBron can have a poor shooting night once in a while. But that's not what Grantland's Zach Lowe was concerned about.
Lowe's point is well taken. Aside from a four-steal outing against Chicago, James, a six-time All-Defensive Team selection, has averaged just 0.5 steals per game. Certainly more was expected from LeBron in this area.
Though Kevin Love (22 points, 10 rebounds) played well on Tuesday, James didn't receive much help from his other teammates. The guard play was particularly lacking, as Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters shot a combined 6-of-28 from the field (via ESPN's Dave McMenamin).
The Cavaliers are 1-2, and LeBron acknowledged the team is having some growing pains (via McMenamin).
Maybe we should hold off on all the judgments. After all, LeBron's Big Three in Miami had just as much trouble in the early going. The Heat started off 9-8, and LeBron was going around elbowing his coach like some kind of lunatic.
Slowly but surely, the Heat turned things around, winning 21 of their next 22 games en route to the NBA Finals.
Not everyone is surprised by Cleveland's slow start. During an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show Tuesday (h/t Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead), Pardon the Interruption's Michael Wilbon said the Cavaliers' current Big Three of Love, James and Irving isn't nearly as good as the James, Wade and Bosh tandem we saw in Miami.
While other stars like Dwight Howard and James Harden have had their commitment called into question, James has always been a model teammate. Recently, he said he wouldn't allow his teammates to be selfish.
But perhaps that's not the right thing for Cleveland. Maybe James needs to be more selfish. He only took 12 shots from the field on Tuesday, his fewest since April 2 against Milwaukee. James played only 29 minutes in that game.
Even on a bad night, James still showed glimpses of the player we saw dominate in Miami. Check out this 29-footer he sunk to put the Cavaliers up seven in the first quarter.
For Cleveland, a matchup against the cellar-dwelling Utah Jazz on Wednesday night could be just what the doctor ordered. And even if James continues to struggle, at least his new shoe is making waves.
