LeBron James approached Kevin Love in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ locker room Sunday at halftime, informing the big fella that he needed to pick up his play on the offensive end.
The pep talk evidently worked—the three-time All-Star scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half of the Cavs’ 101-97 win against the visiting Indiana Pacers.
LeBron says that egos have to be checked at the door in Cleveland’s title quest.
Per the NEOMG:
In the middle of Sunday’s 101-97 win over the Indiana Pacers, it was LeBron James telling Kevin Love to shape up. Love deserved it and responded, scoring 19 of his 22 points in the second half and recovering from a lethargic, difficult-to-watch 1-of-6 shooting performance in the first two quarters.
On Sunday, James fought through the bruised thigh he suffered against Philadelphia to deliver 29 points, six rebounds, and four assists against the Pacers, which including a sterling fourth quarter showdown with Indiana’s Paul George. […] But the Cavs probably don’t beat the Pacers without Love, who scored 11 in the fourth quarter and finished with a season-high 19 rebounds. And Love said he owed his performance to James.
“LeBron talked to me at halftime, just got me going,” Love said. “That’s all it was. I mentioned to him I kind of wanted to free flow and get myself near the basket. That’s what I did. Got myself into a good rhythm rebounding the ball. I credit my teammates for that. It started with him and trickled down to everybody else.” […] James said he thought Love’s problem was “his energy was really low offensively.”
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