LeBron James is a party pooper.
In a good way.
A lot was made of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ state of mind ahead of their matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. Did they go out and party in Hollywood the night before? If so, would they be ready for the 12:30 p.m. PST tip?
Those were not unfair questions. The Cleveland nightlife isn’t anything to write home about, and so, when the Cavaliers journey to bigger markets and warmer climates, it’s entirely possible certain players get seduced by the hopping night life.
But LeBron made sure that wasn’t an issue. From Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com:
Before embarking on the four-game West Coast road trip, LeBron James met with members of the Cavs at varying times to stress the importance of carrying themselves the right way in Los Angeles.
“His main message was that this is a business trip,” J.R. Smith told cleveland.com. “Are we going to have fun? Absolutely, but first things first. We’re going to take care of business, and that’s playing the way we know how to play. Fortunately, we took heed of his message and played the way we were supposed to.”
The Cavaliers most definitely heeded LeBron’s message.
If they explored the town extensively the night before, they came home early. That, or they were really good at playing while sleep-deprived and hungover. They handed the Clippers a 114-90 loss in what was one of their most convincing wins of the season.
More than evidence of LeBron’s leadership, though, this game was a crash-course refresher in championship contention politics—a reminder that the Cavaliers, despite their regular-season warts, are a team to be feared as the playoffs draw near.
