With camera tracking, the statistics department of the NBA has determined that LeBron James has moved slower than all other players in the playoffs so far. When he was confronted with it after game 4, James reacted clearly.
Of all the remaining players in the playoffs, James is the slowest, averaging 3.73 miles per hour, just ahead of Rockets star James Harden, but at 2.51 miles per game, he is also one of the most active players on the court. However, James only had a mockery of the data.
“This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard,” James told The Athletic after game 4 against Boston. You want me to be the slowest player? I want you to track how tired I get after every game. “In terms of fatigue after every game, I’m definitely number one in the league.”
Although James doesn’t think much of statistics, it’s usually quite accurate and it’s not the first post season in which James is one of the slower-than-average players on the court. But that has to do with the fact that he plays more minutes than everyone else and sometimes saves energy during games, which he already admitted in the course of these playoffs.
This was also confirmed by Cavs coach Tyronn Lue: “When you think about it that way, he doesn’t move as much offensively unless he gets the ball into transition. Then he flies, but otherwise he’s holding back. In the last four games, all four other players were in motion, while he dissected the defense while standing. He doesn’t have to move.”