INDEPENDENCE: Last year’s NBA Finals left LeBron James physically and emotionally spent as he led the injury-plagued Cavaliers through six games against the eventual champion Golden State Warriors.
This year the pressure seemingly would be greater on the 31-year-old four-time MVP to deliver Cleveland its first title since the 1964 Browns. Especially with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love alongside him.
But Cavs General Manager David Griffin doesn’t see any evidence of that. As the Cavs open the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena, Griffin said James has not been dragged down by the responsibility. Griffin said James is brimming with confidence and primed for the challenge.
“He’s not that guy. LeBron’s not a guy who ever has fear of expectations,” Griffin said in a one-on-one interview with the Beacon Journal Wednesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “LeBron wants to make history and he sees opportunity there, he doesn’t see expectation, he doesn’t see downside. All he sees is opportunity.”
James has said repeatedly he’s in great physical condition for this point in the season. But Griffin noticed a change in him as far back as when James arrived for training camp.
“Last year he came in nowhere near the kind of condition he came in this year and that played a big role,” Griffin said. “He’s been able to build and progress throughout the year, which is significant. He’s invested in his body to a level that very few professional athletes ever do.”
Griffin compared James’ commitment to that of former Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash. Griffin worked 17 years for the Suns, where Nash played 10 of his 18 seasons.
“Steve Nash very similar, but typically it’s guys who have to do that,” Griffin said. “It’s not guys who are elite athletes that are looking to prolong their career, it’s usually guys towards the end who realize it’s fleeting. LeBron’s invested in his body now for quite a while. I hope we get to reap the benefits for many years.”
But the pounding James continues to absorb, evident in the first round sweep of the Detroit Pistons, might prompt some to wonder how much more his body can take.
“I think truly great players, truly special players in our league, they don’t bell curve in and out. They just hit a brick wall one day,” Griffin said. “LeBron’s very cognizant of that. He knows the history of the NBA. So he’s taking care of himself and dedicating himself to being fresh now so he’s not in jeopardy of that.”
Players like Kobe Bryant, who retired after this season as his talents gradually declined, don’t follow Griffin’s theory. But it’s possible James expects to hit the brick wall, although not any time soon.
Griffin said what James did last year in the Finals showed why he’s among the greatest in league history.
“[He] was very much offensively alone,” Griffin said. “Last year’s [Finals] series is a great testament to how special he really is. This is a guy whose hallmark in the league has been efficiency and he was asked to be a volume-shooting scorer knowing he would have to do it inefficiently because there was no one else to [defend]. He embraced that role.
“He understood immediately what was going to be required of him and he was able to flip the switch midstream. People can’t do that. Whatever is called for at any given moment, that’s what he’s going to do. If he has to guard a center, if he has to guard a point guard, he’s going to do whatever needs to be done. No other player in our league can do that.”
Griffin downplayed the expectations of championship-or-bust, or at least Finals-or-bust. Anything short of that might cost coach Tyronn Lue and/or Griffin their jobs.
“I think that’s a media narrative,” Griffin said. “That’s never been articulated here. We all feel an incredible sense of responsibility to both our fan base and to LeBron. This is a guy who wants to win for this city more than any player in any city. His connection to this community is incredible, so it pushes everybody every day to want to deliver. It’s not about expectation, it’s about the joy we can deliver to people. As long as we stay focused on that, nobody worries about the downside.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.