LeBron James leaves game as Heat defeat CSKA Moscow
When LeBron James of the Miami Heat left last night’s exhibition game against CSKA Moscow with leg cramps, he said he heard a collective gasp from his home crowd. And it reminded him of
the crowd reaction to Dwyane Wade, one third of Miami’s Big Three, heading to the locker room after straining his right hamstring in the first few minutes of the Heat’s first pre-season game on 5 October.
“You couldn't help but to hear it after seeing D-Wade going out," said James. "I knew exactly what they thought. I'm fine."
In a surprisingly hard-fought 96-85 victory over the talented CSKA team, the Heat were happy to get the win. But after the game, it wasn’t the victory that was on everyone’s mind but the
state of James. In what has to be a huge relief for fans of the Heat, James described the injury as “very, very minor.”
"I knew it was a cramp right off the bat,” he said. “I've had them plenty of times, so I knew. I can be ready to play the next game if I needed to play."
But James will not suit up for the Heat’s next game against the New Orleans Hornets, a decision he said was made before his early exit last night. Even though it was only a cramp, Heat
coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t enjoy seeing the two-time reigning MVP heading to the locker room while clinging his leg.
"It's not a great sight for a coach," he said.
Before leaving the game, James scored 22 points in 26 minutes while Chris Bosh added 17 points and eight rebounds, allowing the Heat to come back from an early 10-point deficit. CSKA led
the game 22-16 after the first quarter but were outscored by the Heat in the final three, including 32-20 in the decisive third quarter. Led by James and Bosh, the Heat went on a 23-4 run in the quarter, padding their lead against CSKA, who will play two more
exhibition games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers this week before heading home.
"Second half, we just concentrated on doing our jobs, doing what we do, doing it with effort and doing it right, doing it how we've been trying to do it since training camp," Spoelstra
said. "And our focus and commitment was better."
Trajan Langdon led CSKA with 20 points, with Jamont Gordon adding 17 and Ramunas Siskauskas chipping in with 15.
The game wasn’t decided until the final minutes, with CSKA pulling to within five points after a Langdon jumper with just over four minutes to play. But on the next play, Kenny Hasbrouck,
who is fighting for a roster spot, found Udonis Haslem for a layup and then scored himself to build the Heat's lead to nine at 90-81. Hasbrouck finished with 12 points and four assists.
CSKA did not play like an intimidated team, attacking the Heat’s defence and finishing the first half with a five-point lead.
"We've played against NBA teams before," Langdon said. "We know that this is a very good Heat team. We know that there is a lot of new players here. We've been in camp a little bit longer
than them so I think our rhythm and playing together, we know what we're doing a little bit more than they do at this time in terms of knowing each other."
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