As one of the best players in the history of basketball, not many have the boldness to confront LeBron James on the basketball court.
For former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, however, he was one of the few who wasn’t afraid to call him out. In a chat on the “Called Game” podcast, Richard Jefferson went into detail about one specific time, during the 2016 Finals, when Lue called out his biggest star.
“Bron and T-Lue got into it at halftime because T-Lue comes in and he’s like ‘Bron I need more’. Bron, understanding game seven, was keeping his emotions in check. Because half the battle in those things is trying to keep your emotions in check. It’s not like he said ‘Bron I need you to play hard’. But he’s like ‘Bron, you’re not playing hard enough’.”
Whether you love or hate that strategy, there is no arguing its effectiveness. LeBron torched the Warriors in Game 7, scoring 11 of Cleveland’s 18 points in the fourth.
As you probably know by now, it would result in the Cavs winning their first-ever Championship, which came against a historically great team.
So, is that the key to getting the best out of James? That much remains to be seen, but it certainly seems like a good place to start.
