LeBron James got the best of the Cavaliers, lighting them up for 38 points Thursday night in a 118-90 win in Cleveland. Though the fans brought out the hate in the form of shirts, posters, chants, and urinal cakes, James responded with his best effort of the season, which included 24 points in the third quarter alone.
While LeBron left the fans with little to cheer for and only taunts to create, he did open himself up for more criticism in a postgame interview with Craig Sager on TNT. When asked if he had a message to the fans, LeBron said he wanted them to focus on the seven great years they had in Cleveland. He ended that response by saying he had the utmost respect for the franchise and fans, but his arrogance showed when he said he wanted to “just continue the greatness for myself here in Miami and try and get better every day.” That comment didn’t bother me like it did others, but LeBron’s response to a “life vest” question could have gone better. Here was the exchange:
Sager: You can’t go back with your decision but do you regret how it ended, would you like to apologize for the way it ended?
James: I don’t want to apologize. My intention was not to hurt anyone, my intention was solely on kids during the whole process. I always say the decisions I make I live with them. There’s always ways that you can correct them, or ways that you can do them better, but at the end of the day I live with them. I’m satisfied and I’m happy right now.
I agree about living with your decisions and trying to correct them, but LeBron won’t ever get past the way he did his “Decision” show. I would think he would try and be contrite every time the subject came up, if not because of genuine remorse, but at least for positive public relations. He also could have reminded us of his regret that they never won a championship in Cleveland, though after playing a long game I forgive him for leaving that out. Still, I would think LeBron would be trying to improve his public image with every opportunity he receives. Answers like that certainly do not help.
