LeBron James lectured Cavs about L.A. nightlife before road trip

The Cleveland Cavaliers only have a month remaining to establish a true identity before the playoffs, and LeBron James does not want the team screwing anything up with a trip to the West Coast.

Before the Cavs headed to Los Angeles for a three-game stretch against the Lakers, Clippers and Jazz, LeBron met with his teammates on more than one occasion to urge them to maintain their focus.

“His main message was that this is a business trip,” J.R. Smith told Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com on Sunday. “Are we going to have fun? Absolutely, but first thing’s first. We’re going to take care of business, and that’s playing the way we know how to play. Fortunately, we took heed of his message and played the way we were supposed to.”

The Cavs kicked off the trip by beating the Lakers, 120-108, on Thursday. They were even more impressive in a blowout win over the Clippers on Sunday. Clearly, the team did not let partying get in the way of preparation.

“He (LeBron) just said having a couple of days off in L.A., we had to be professionals and getting our rest,” Tristan Thompson said Sunday. “Obviously you want to enjoy the weather and the atmosphere of being on the West Coast, but at the same time, we’re here for business and being professionals. That’s what we did and it was displayed this afternoon.”

LeBron said the Cavs understood this was a “business trip,” and the results on the court thus far have shown that. If anyone knows a thing or two about partying, it’s Smith. Remember what he said about being traded to Cleveland? If LeBron’s advice sat well with him, that’s a good sign.