Written by Brian Windhorst at ESPN.com
LeBron James rests better than everyone else too.
James has had a week or more off nine times in his playoff career, and that doesn’t even count the numerous times he has taken the last week of the regular season off to prepare for the playoffs. In short, he knows what he’s doing.
Over the past few days, Cleveland Cavaliers players and staff were blown away by James’ dominance in practice, as he has looked rested, healthy and full of energy. It led to a quiet confidence heading into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
It wasn’t quiet for long, as James carried over his fantastic play from the first round against the Indiana Pacers and fueled a 116-105 victory against Toronto.
He set the tone in the game’s opening moments when he tossed down a vicious left-handed dunk, springing off the floor at high speed, on a pass Kyrie Irving tossed to him off the backboard. It was bad judgment by Irving, with the ball being thrown too hard. But James corralled it and flushed in a highlight that probably will be replayed throughout the postseason.
“It’s crazy what he can do in the air,” Irving said. “Throw it up there in any vicinity and he’s going to make a play.”
That play got the fans to their feet, and then, in another memorable moment, he cracked them up when he grabbed a beer out of a courtside server’s hands and jokingly put it to his lips after he bounded into the sideline following a foul as the Cavs built a 25-point, third-quarter lead.
James finished with 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in another masterful performance. Perhaps most impressive, he didn’t have a turnover until the final five minutes, when the game was well in hand. He averaged nearly five turnovers a game during the last series.
“That was the mystery coming in, how we would come out,” James said. “But the energy was phenomenal … it was a great start for us.”
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