LeBron James is trying to make a statement ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Following a disappointing Game 3 performance in which James went 7-for-21 and did not attempt a free throw in a 113-77 blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat star draped a red practice jersey around his neck and down his back for Wednesday’s practice and media session.
The message was clear: James is trying to remind himself that he has to play like a superhero — like Superman — for the Heat to come back from their 2-1 series deficit.
“I take full responsibility for our team’s performance [in Game 3],” James told the media. “Me as a leader, I can’t afford to perform like I did last night and expect for us to win on the road. I’m putting all the pressure on my chest, on my shoulders to come through for the team.”
James reiterated that his performance in Game 3 was not good enough, and he vowed to be better in Game 4.
“I gotta do whatever it takes. 7-for-21 isn’t going to cut it. Zero free throws. I had 11 rebounds, five assists, but 7-for-21 and zero free throws isn’t going to cut it. I will be better [in Game 4].”
James has been consistently ineffective for the first time since the Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. He failed to score more than 18 points or shoot better than 44 percent in any of the three games, which is far below his regular-season averages of 26.8 points and 56.5 percent.
LeBron really took the whole cape thing seriously, too.
He was seen dunking with the cape on:
http://instagram.com/p/aey3oWy1Uj/
And he took plenty of jumpers with the Superman-like cape before finally shedding it.
Superman twitter.com/GreggDoyelCBS/…
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelCBS) June 12, 2013
LeBron gets up shots at Wednesday’s practice in hopes of regaining a rhythm that’s been missing in the Finals. twitter.com/WallaceNBA_ESP…
— Michael Wallace (@WallaceNBA_ESPN) June 12, 2013
Now we’ll see if the cap rubs off on James and helps him put together the type of Superman performance fans have been waiting to see.
H/T For the Win
