LeBron James motivated by 5-year-old friend vs. Wizards

The Cavs are in position to be very good for a very long time and with James turning 31 recently, it makes sense that he would look to Irving to be the future of this team. The two later met at the NBA All-Star Game in NY in February.

“I got a daughter, and then just also being a father and seeing what Devon was going through at the time to keep that strength and keep his composure when his daughter was going through what she was going through, it just resonated, man. And from that point on, we became good friends, and I’m good friends with Devon”. He’s much better than that.

Five-year-old Leah Still, whose battle with cancer won her the 2015 ESPY Award for perseverance, attended the game wearing James’ No. 23 jersey.

Jonas Valanciunas starred for the Raptors as he scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. “But it sure didn’t look like that tonight”.

Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, including a run of 10 straight that put the game away.

James had 10 rebounds, and J.R. Smith added 25 points for Cleveland. “To be out months and still be able to come out there and shake and bake like he’s doing is remarkable”.

The Cavs needed a few big performances as the Wizards had one of their best offensive performances of the season.

“We stopped moving the ball”, coach Randy Wittman said after the Wizards fell to 5-14 when they fail to total 25 assists. Dudley was 2-of-4 from long-distance – and 5-of-7 from the floor overall – in Washington’s win over Cleveland and can get as hot as anyone in the league when he’s rolling.

However, James’ three-pointer to close the third pushed the lead back to 90-78 and the Cavs were never threatened again. That’s a scary sight for clubs, like the Raptors, with designs on knocking the defending Eastern champs from their perch atop the conference… and, if it keeps up, it just might be enough to put at least a little fear into the hearts of the West’s elite. With an NBA Finals berth seeming like a foregone conclusion this season, Irving’s journey to becoming a superstar really might be the only thing fans have to be invested in during the regular season this year, and possibly for the next couple years. “There’s not many guys, if any, at the point guard level that’s better than him”. “That wasn’t an easy game”. Still, he understands this is still a process of getting back into form.

She’s celebrating being cancer-free, and her dad just got a new National Football League contract. However, when asked about the former Texas A&M star James told the Washington media, “I think it’s more concerned for him individually”, James said when asked about the future of Manziel in Cleveland. The second stop on Cleveland’s six-game road trip takes place Friday at the Minnesota Timberwolves….

“Sometimes desperation leads to wondrous thinking”, Blatt said.

James, who hinted after the Raptors game that an MVP trophy could be in Irving’s future, continued Wednesday to change the conversation around the fifth-year guard.