Old habits die hard and LeBron James proved just that during an exhibition game in Rio de Janeiro against his former Miami Heat team. The newly re-minted Cleveland Cavalier only scored seven points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field but that wasn’t his biggest struggle of the night.
During a Miami offensive drive, guard Norris Cole was being contested by Matthew Dellavedova when from out of nowhere, James muscled his way into the play only to set a pick on his own man. The mental lapse occurred within one minute of the first quarter, so it was apparent that James hadn’t fully adjusted to being out of South Beach.
Cole didn’t miss a beat and used his uncontested manuevers to make an attempt on an assist–which resulted in an air ball. It was an indication on how the Heat’s night would end as they lost 122-119 to add to their winless preseason. The Cavs however, are looking good at 2-0 in exhibition play.
The anticipation of “The King” versus his former team was heightened after Chris Bosh made some rather grumpy comments in regards to facing off against James after playing with him for 4 years. For what it’s worth, the All-Star center played very well, leading his team with 19 points in the near-win.
Peep the comical pick-and-no in the video via ESPN. LeBron will get another shot to shine against his former club on Christmas Day 2014.
—
Photo: ESPN
