Wade Argues LeBron is ‘No Quitter’
Though they have only been teammates proper for the better part of a week, Dwyane Wade is already standing up for James and refusing to buy into comments that “King James” is a quitter.
In an act of defense Thursday, Wade told the Associated Press that the two-time MVP “didn’t quit” during his last playoff run against the Boston Celtics. The comments were a response to those earlier put forth by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, not long after it was revealed James would not be re-signing with his franchise.
Wade adamantly repeated: “He’s not a quitter. He didn’t quit.”
Previously Gilbert called James “cowardly” and said that the superstar had been receiving a “free pass” for too long. While many identified with Gilbert’s reaction to James, especially in the Cleveland area, NBA commissioner David Stern fined the entrepreneur $100,000 earlier this week for the comments, stating that they were too harshly worded.
Wade said that he went back and watched the tapes of Cleveland’s second round series against Boston. On numerous occasions James and his team were shut down, losing by as much as 30 points in game five, despite it being a home game. Wade said he could identify with the challenge, as Boston is well known to have the best defense in the league.
Wade said: “LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, guys like that understand what Boston's defence was about. Their defence was built on not letting one player beat them. You either settle for the outside shot or you pass to your teammates. LeBron had one bad game in the playoffs. Other than that, he did what he could do with the defence all watching him.”
The Cavs suffered a series loss in six games. Wade pointed to James performance in the final game, where he scored 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Dan Gilbert told Associated Press that people should “watch the tape,” of the games. He added that “the Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.”
During game 5 of the series James looked distracted and confused, staring emptily at his coaches. The moment was memorable because it stands out as being one in which the star was uncharacteristically lost at sea, with apparently no sense of what to do or how to manage the winning Boston team. The Celtics went on to win the series and play the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.
After game five James likewise made some strange postgame comments, saying that he had “spoiled” people with his play and talents in seven seasons. He finished the game with 15 points on 3-for-14 shooting.
In Game six, James was criticized similarly for giving up, appearing to be resigned to the fact of elimination. Dan Gilbert said that he also believes James quit in Game six of the 2009 series with the Orlando Magic.
“I don't see where you can get where he quit,” Wade rationalized. “He just had one bad game. It happens. Kobe had a bad game in the finals. They won. It didn't matter. LeBron's teammates didn't help him out that game and it made the way he played even worse. But he's not a quitter. He didn't quit.”
He added: “You get defensive with things like that. He's a good friend. You understand people say it because it's a hot topic. They wanted people to react in a positive way or a negative way, just because it's a hot topic to talk about. It's a punch line. They just wanted to have something to do with it. They wanted to feel involved in some way.”
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