In smashing the New York Knicks with casual ferocity, LeBron James turned a personal grudge into a springboard for his team.
James started out by setting up his fellow Cleveland Cavaliers in the 126-94 steamrolling, seemingly content to delegate retribution for Phil Jackson's "posse" comments to Jackie MacMullan of ESPN.com last month.
A refresher in brief of Jackson talking about James in Miami: "You can't hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland."
At no point before the game did James indicate he was out for revenge, but his focus in the early going was undeniable—and on-brand.
James sought out Kevin Love for early looks that led to a 16-point first quarter for the power forward. Perhaps by design or perhaps by dint of basketball karma, James' facilitation empowered Love, who returned the favor with several sweet outlet passes to his teammates in that first period:
It was almost as if James was satisfied sticking it to the Knicks by proxy.
Until this happened:
James' ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Grant Hughes
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