The Cleveland Cavaliers gave up 126 points to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, continuing a trend of poor defensive play, and LeBron James has just about had it.
After Cleveland gave up 73 first half points to Denver, James ripped his team, essentially saying some of his teammates have not been tough enough.
“It ain’t about a group. It’s about individuals,” James said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We’ve got to be more, just do more. It ain’t about no group. You can’t preach toughness. You’ve got to have it.”
James was then asked about his own defensive effort in the loss.
“Personally? I had opportunities where I could have been better,” James said. “Um, one thing about it: I always bring toughness to the game. I know that. That’s for sure.”
The Cavaliers are now 22nd in the league in defensive efficiency, and that mark has gotten progressively worse every month of the season. With the team now finding themselves in a battle for the Eastern Conference’s top seed, it’s understandable why James has become increasingly agitated over all sorts of issues over the course of the season. With Cleveland performing this badly only 12 games away from the playoffs, James is more frustrated than ever — and isn’t hiding it.
