On the road against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, up by one point with 25 seconds left in the game, LeBron James was barking at Kyrie Irving on the bench during a timeout.
LeBron James barking at Kyrie Irving. Kyrie not listening.
At least the #Cavs won, right?https://t.co/GeKv8kwFOC
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) April 2, 2016
To some, this may have come off as LeBron harassing Irving, maybe even putting him down, given the aggressive nature of his delivery (J.R. Smith doesn’t want any parts, he doesn’t even look up). You might even conjure up the rumor from a month ago about Kyrie and LeBron’s chemistry issues that could ultimately send the point guard out of Cleveland.
LeBron chose to explain what he was saying to Irving during that timeout, via Justin Rowan of Fear the Sword:
So that’s what LeBron was yelling at Kyrie pic.twitter.com/32cIG48MQu
— Justin Rowan (@Cavsanada) April 2, 2016
“I told him it doesn’t matter what happened in the last 52 1/2 minutes, just go up there and knock them down because you can do that,” said James. “I know what’s going on in your mind. You’re able to calm yourself and he was able to do that. I hate the fact that he broke his streak, but he went up there and knocked the free throws down and we needed every last one of them.”
“As great as Kyrie is, he struggles. We all struggle. Sometimes you need someone to pick you up.”
Part of what LeBron James has to do in his current leadership role is build up other leaders, most importantly Kyrie Irving. LeBron is about to play in his eleventh consecutive postseason. He’s been through every phase of postseason rigors. What’s required of him is to emphasize the consistent focus and confidence that it takes in order to accomplish what they want.
Kyrie Irving just turned 24 years old. He’s embarking on his second playoff stint and his first one was cut short. LeBron is still having to make sure he’s ready for these moments, because he knows they need each other.
