LeBron James is still learning.
For the second time in as many games, James and his Cleveland Cavaliers gave away a victory in Detroit. They had a chance to win both road games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Great chances, in fact. Donyell Marshall had a wide-open look at a game-winning three in Game 1. James and Co. had three shots at the basket in the final seconds of Game 2.
And still, the Pistons lead the series 2-0.
This is all part of the maturing process for LeBron.
He came under fire after Game 1 for passing the ball to Marshall instead of taking the shot himself. You know what? Marshall hits that shot about 97.8 of the time. OK, so that might be an exaggeration, but not by much. And oh by the way, there were three defenders on LeBron. He would’ve been hammered.
By passing to Marshall, James made the smart play.
He made another one in Game 2. With time winding down, he found himself one-on-one against Rip Hamilton. LeBron took him to the hole. He missed the shot, but still, he did the right thing, taking it at Hamilton.
These are the lumps you have to take when you’re 23 years old. No doubt LeBron will be a star in the NBA for years and years to come. There may be MVPs. There may be NBA titles. But all of it requires experience, knowing what to do and when to do it.
King James is not yet royalty, but it’s obvious the prince is learning.