LeBron James says he has a secret source of motivation in these Finals
Cavaliers megastar says something extra is fueling him in these Finals, but he won't speak of it.
By
Matt Moore
•
2 min read
Of all the things in the whirlwind of LeBron James' 39-point, 16-rebound, 11-assist triple double mega-performance in Game 2 of the Finals, one thing stuck out to me beyond just his sheer basketball omnipresence. Jotted in my game notes halfway through the fourth quarter was this:
"Never seen LeBron this angry before."
James was a volcano in Game 2. Everyone took note when he flipped out on an official for the no-call late in the game, but throughout the contest, he was screaming at teammates. Tristan Thompson got the worst of it, for turnovers and blown assignments (despite Thompson's stellar work in switches vs. Steph Curry). It's the Finals, James should be amped up, but having seen enough LeBron Finals games, I've come to see the difference. He was super-focused and internalized in Boston during Game 6. He was a floor general in his prime in Game 6 and 7 of the Finals in 2013. He was tired and frustrated in 2014.
He's taking this series intensely personal. Whether that's him being home in Cleveland, the fact so many have counted him out, or some unknown, it's there. James said as much after Game 2, discussing some "other motivation" he declined to speak on. Here's the transcript from James' interview session after Game 2.
Q. Your coach said that you guys were the underdog and you were written off. You guys were written off coming into this game. How much is that a personal motivation for you and how important, how good does it feel to get a rare to get a loss to get a win in Golden State?
LEBRON JAMES: "Well, I mean, I don't need any extra motivation. I think our guys love it. Our guys love the fact that we've been counted out and come into the series being an underdog. They're pretty much saying that especially after Kyrie got hurt and the series was over. I think our guys are using that as motivation. I use a little bit of it, but I have a lot of motivation already to just be a part of greatness and be a part of this and be a part of this atmosphere.
"My motivation is to make sure my guys are ready and prepared every night we step on the floor. And I have some other motivation that I won't talk about right now, but I have so many different things to worry about than being an underdog or guys counting us out."
Here's what James told Ken Berger he was feeling after his explosive celebration upon winning Game 2:
"Everything," James told CBSSports.com. "It was just a culmination of the game, the circumstances, us being undermanned, you name it. Not relief, because I'm never relieved until it's over, but there was a great satisfaction in that moment."
From my vantage point, I told him, it looked like the ball almost hit the scoreboard. He laughed.
"I was hoping when I bounced it up," he said, "that it didn't hit me back in the damn head."
Source: With superlative effort, LeBron James refuses to let underdog Cavs lose - CBSSports.com.
That motivation is certain to cause speculation about its origin. Whatever the cause, the reality is the same. We've never seen James like this, as Berger noted Monday, in full command and as intense as we've ever witnessed.
These Finals are just getting started.
