LeBron James Makes History In Loss To Chicago Bulls With “Flu Game”
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James made history against the Chicago Bulls last night in his own flu game.
After last night’s game against the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James is now second all-time in Cleveland Cavaliers franchise history in games played. He’s now played 724 games as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a number that places him just ahead of Danny Ferry and 47 games behind his friend Zydraunus Ilgauskus.
With 31 points on 12-21 shooting from the field, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, James has had his own game with unfathomable stats for a player that was a game-time decision with the flu. What’s more, James took a nasty spill late in the third quarter that had everyone in the arena collectively holding your breath.
He then came back in to try to lift the Cavs to victory after Kay Felder, Jordan McRae and Channing Frye helped the Cavs storm back from a 17-point lead to cut the deficit to one in the fourth quarter.
Here’s what Tyronn Lue had to say about Felder’s performance:
Felder, who went 3-of-11 from the field but was 3-of-6 from the field in the second half, had another game that showed why the Cavs are increasing their trust in their point guard. However, after the game, James stated that although Felder is on a fast-track to learning how to be the backup point guard, the Cavs still need a veteran point guard for their playoff run.
McRae, again, had wild swings of efficiency. On one possession, his layup hit the bottom of the rim. On another possession, he performed a beautiful crossover that gave him an open path to the rim. He finished with 21 points on 7-15 shooting but was just 1-of 5 from three-point range. He was, however, aggressive and made 6-of-7 free-throw attempts over the course of the game.
Channing Frye knocked down open shots from three-point range as usual but also put the ball on the floor this game and scored from the post as well. Unfortunately, neither player had a good game defensively. Tristan Thompson, who has struggled against the Bulls in two games this season, didn’t either.
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In fact, flu-game-James and DeAndre Liggins had the best defensive performances for the Cavs. The latter hounded Dwyane Wade up-and-down the court and, aside from missing easy conversions around the rim in what was a tough game for every Cav who wanted to make a layup, was again instrumental in the team coming out with effective defense.
The Chicago Bulls, led by Wade, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson got timely threes from Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic. That they were able to pull out a victory after a poor first half showing was simply a display of exploiting a mismatch. The Cavs, who are thin at every position on the court but especially inside, couldn’t protect the rim or the perimeter and gave up a combined 75 points between their production in the paint and at the free-throw line.
All in all, it was still a winnable game for the Cavs who couldn’t get the shots or the stops when they needed them most. If anything, the Cavs simply learned even more about what they need as a team: a backup point guard, another reliable shooter and depth at center for starters. Luckily, the Cavs will have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love back at some point during their six-game road trip.
James, who eclipsed 1,400 threes in his 1,018th game moved past longtime Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince last night and will pass Detroit Pistons legend Joe Dumars in all-time games played tomorrow in Brooklyn.
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Did you see last night’s game against the Chicago Bulls? What did you think of the way the Cleveland Cavaliers performed? Let us now in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.