Whether it's concentrating on being ready to shoot when coming off the bench, digging in on defense or simply playing hard from start to finish, LeBron James has a task for every member of the Cavaliers.
And that is why Cleveland is getting ready to take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals later this week.
Iman Shumpert, James Jones and Tristan Thompson explained this to NBA.com for a piece about how Cleveland has persevered despite losing Anderson Varejao and Kevin Love to injuries and having to deal with a less-than-100 percent Kyrie Irving during the playoffs.
"This has been the easiest for me mentally as far as what I have to prepare for," Shumpert told the league's website. "There are times where they're going to need me to do a little bit more scoring or a little bit more rebounding, with the injuries or fouls that happen throughout the game; or maybe they'll need me to handle the ball. But on a day-to-day (basis), I know what my job is on the team. And I think simplifying that in my mind, and not having me think about so much other stuff, it really has helped my game evolve."
For his part, James said even earlier in his career he never felt like he had to win games on his own, but he has developed a greater ability to lead as he has gotten older.
"Mentally, I just wasn't who I am today," James said. "My hard drive wasn't as big as it is today. I'm able to handle a lot of situations that I wasn't able to handle at 24 and 25 and 23 years old. The mental side is way more important than the physical, so that's where it comes from.''
(H/T NBA.com)
