Stanley Johnson Discusses LeBron James After Pistons' Game 2 Loss to Cavaliers
Stanley Johnson may be a rookie, but he’s talking trash like a veteran.
Although the Detroit Pistons dropped Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-90 on Wednesday night, the 19-year-old didn’t hesitate to take shots at LeBron James and the reigning Eastern Conference champions following the loss.
Speaking to reporters, Johnson explained that he's already established a psychological edge over one of the game's premier players despite having dropped back-to-back games to open postseason play.
"I'm definitely in his head," the rookie said, according to ESPN.com's Nick Friedell. "That's for sure."
But Johnson didn't stop there.
"He jabbers," the University of Arizona product added, per Friedell. "He moves his mouth sometimes. Their whole team does, kind of like their little cheerleaders on the bench."
And the verbal jabs just kept coming.
"I wish he would just talk when [the game] is 0-0, not when he's up 16," Johnson said, per Friedell.
It's hard to fault a player for exuding confidence or simply speaking his mind, but doing so following such a convincing beatdown at the hands of the Cavaliers may not have been a prudent ploy by Johnson.
Not only did the Cavaliers tie an NBA postseason record with 20 three-pointers in the win, but James also had a field day against him. According to ESPN Stats & Info, James scored 13 points and shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field Wednesday night with Johnson as his primary defender.
For the series, James is a cool 7-of-9 shooting for 15 points with Johnson penciled in as his main defensive counterpart.
Compounding matters for Johnson is the fact that the Pistons were a team-worst minus-20 in the plus/minus column with him on the floor in Game 2.
And now, with the series shifting to Detroit, James and the Cavaliers figure to be armed with extra motivation.
Cleveland was already a heavy favorite to advance considering LeBron's teams are 15-0 all-time in the postseason when leading 2-0, per ESPN Stats & Info, and sending Johnson packing in demoralizing fashion may quickly throttle to the top of the Cavs' to-do list.
