LeBron James received very little playing time in the preseason thanks to an ankle injury. However, Cleveland Cavaliers fans have little to worry about if J.R. Smith has anything to say about the situation. When asked about the chances of LeBron taking the court against Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics, Smith said: "he's going to go."
J.R. Smith on LeBron James opening night status
J.R. Smith was asked about LeBron James, considering the fact that James only played in one preseason game this year and practiced very little heading into Tuesday night's regular-season opener.
Smith said not to worry about any of that. When it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers taking on the team most likely to challenge them for the Eastern Conference title this year, Smith said that LeBron will do what he has to do.
J.R. Smith said that LeBron James will play but he dismissed somewhat the LeBron vs. Kyrie feud as a reason for it. Smith said that was not the reason that he is so sure that James will be on the floor for the Cleveland Cavaliers contest. Instead, Smith said that it was all because of how much LeBron loves the game. J.R. Smith also pointed out that LeBron has never missed an opening game of a season since he started playing basketball at the age of eight.
LeBron vs. Kyrie
While J.R. Smith dismissed the entire feud between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, that will be first and foremost on the minds of the fans filing into Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night. Kyrie was a huge part of the Cavaliers making it to three straight NBA Finals and was instrumental in them winning one of those appearances.
However, Kyrie Irving asked to be traded because he didn't want to play under LeBron James anymore and wanted to lead his own team. The team that the Cavaliers sent him to just happened to be the team that won the Eastern Conference in 2016-17, despite eventually losing to Cleveland in the playoffs.
This game isn't just about Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.
This is a game with multiple MVPs on the Cavaliers team in LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, along with Kevin Love, trying to make it back to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season.
It is also about the Boston Celtics trying to take over the lead in the Eastern Conference with Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward joining the squad. The Celtics are close to surpassing the Cavaliers and this is a game that could set the tone for at least the regular NBA season. A minor ankle injury for LeBron James won't keep him off the court for this game.
