When Things Get Tough, LeBron 'Gets Away From The Ball'
CHICAGO (WSCR) Heading into the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Chicago Bulls led the Miami Heat by nine points. Instead of trying to take over the game and lead his team to victory, LeBron James became relatively non-existent, and the Heat lost by 21 points.
"He has those stretches," Mike Wallace, of ESPN.com, said on the Danny Mac Show. "You thought that he was over that, especially after the way he attacked Boston [in the conference semifinals], scored the last 10 points of that elimination game to knock them out.
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"But again, he's a guy that when things are going particularly tough, you know, he gets away from the ball. And that's not what you paying this guy to be your star for, that's not what he's here for."
But much of James' struggles can be attributed to the things that the Bulls were doing defensively.
"I mean, you have to credit Luol Deng," Wallace said.
"These two guys, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, are awesome players. But they also need that fuel that comes when the referees are giving them favorable whistles...And a lot of the drives that they made in Game 1, they would end up on the line in most series. I think the referees respect the way Chicago defends. And if there's an adjustment, that might be one thing we may see, is that maybe the whistles might be a little quicker in Game 2."
