LeBron James doesn't care what the numbers say—he knows his game better than anyone else.
The NBA has implemented a system that can track a player's every move. Well, according to The Athletic's Jason Lloyd, nobody in the Eastern Conference Finals is running the court slower than James. But the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar doesn't buy into the advanced stats.
"That's the dumbest s--t I've ever heard," James told Lloyd. "That tracking bulls--t can kiss my ass. The slowest guy? Get out of here."
Lloyd notes that James entered Monday night's game with an average speed of 3.64 mph through the first three showdowns against the Boston Celtics and 3.73 mph for the postseason as a whole.
According to the data, Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (6'11", 270 pounds) is the only player who has been slower than James during the third round. Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Jeff Teague is the only player this postseason (minimum of four games and 10 minutes) to total a lower number than the Cavs star.
No matter what the advanced stats say, it would be foolish to think the four-time NBA MVP is slowing down. The 6'8", 250-pound James is averaging 33.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists during these playoffs. His incredible postseason has been highlighted by six 40-point showings.
More importantly, he has his team just two wins away from yet another Finals appearance.
It would be easy for James to fight back with numbers of his own. Riding seven consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, the 33-year-old played in all 82 games during the regular season and has averaged 40.6 minutes this postseason, including 41.2 during a seven-game battle against the Indiana Pacers in the opening round.
As the minutes have piled up, he has also been asked to carry his team like never before. Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal recently broke down why this could be James' worst supporting cast ever.
Clearly not a fan of the current tracking data, James has a suggestion as to how the league could improve its system.
"Tell them to track how tired I am after the game, track that s--t," James told Lloyd. "I'm No. 1 in the NBA on how tired I am after the game."
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