LeBron, Cavs are skipping starting lineup intros to focus on game plan
Wanting to focus more on the actual game, LeBron James and the rest of the Cavs starting unit don't participate in the pregame introductions anymore.
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1 min read
After losing two straight games, LeBron James questioned the Cleveland Cavaliers' mental toughness, saying that they weren't as "hungry" as the Golden State Warriors. The Cavs immediately responded to their leader by winning their next two games, easily beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday and Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
The Cavs are playing much more focused after LeBron's criticis, and now they're even skipping the pregrame starting lineup introductions to concentrate on the early game plan.
From Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes:
While the public address announcer is introducing each of the five starters, the Cavaliers are skipping the traditional routine of walking up the runway high-fiving one another.
Instead, they're already in a huddle with coach David Blatt wedged in the middle going over the game plan.
"It's just about being focused and preparing for the game," James told cleveland.com. "It's something we did in Miami at certain points. It's about playing the game the right way and your approach. Staying locked in and being ready to go."
"I think it's just a mindset so our opponents know we're ready to play," Thompson said to cleveland.com. "We're first on the court, ready for tip, and when they (opponent) look over there after they do their huddle, it sends a message that they've got to be ready to rumble."
James and Thompson said they aren't sure how long they'll continue to sit out the lineup introductions. But if it's played any part as to why the Cavaliers have gotten off to such quick starts in the last two contests, it'll probably continue for a few more games.
Like most teams, the Cavs usually take great delight in the starting lineup introductions. So if they are foregoing that brief moment of levity and using it to focus on the game instead, the Cavs are clearly playing at a different mental level than how they started the season.
This type of focus is needed if Cleveland wants to make a return trip to the Finals and if they are already doing this 13 games into the season, then their chances of winning the East again are quite high.
