CLEVELAND: When looking for help to cure his free-throw shooting woes, LeBron James didn’t hesitate to turn to teammate Kyle Korver.
A career 74 percent shooter from the line, James shot a career-low 67 percent this season. He matched that in the opening game of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena, making 6-of-9 from the line.
Korver said James’ call for advice came in simple conversation. The Cavs spend a lot of time talking about basketball.
“As a group, we shoot together every day, and we can feel each other watching our shots for mechanics,” Korver said. “You know, it’s kind of like what we do. So, I think it kind of came naturally.”
It also comes naturally for Korver to watch other players shoot and go into analysis mode, something he’s done throughout his career. He willingly offers advice to whomever seeks it or in a moment he deems appropriate to discuss it. James said prior to the start of the playoffs he was going to work on his free-throw shooting.
“I think you’ve got to give LeBron a lot of credit for being open to changing something,” Korver said. “Especially now, I felt a little weird saying anything. It’s not really the time. But I do think there’s things that can help everybody out. It’s not overly complicated.”
What advice did he give James?
“I think, just, there’s a lot of ways to shoot. No one has the same form,” he said. “I think when you’re helping someone shoot, the thing I think about the most is how do you take things, unnecessary things, out of your shot to make it as compact and simple as possible.”
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue offered James a piece of advice, also.
“Don’t change. You’re the best player in the world,” Lue said. “Do what you do. Have confidence in doing it and that’s it. You’re either going to miss or make them, but don’t keep changing.”
Words of comfort
James doesn’t have any siblings, so he knows he can’t really empathize with Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas over the death of his sister.
Chyna Thomas, 22, was killed in a one-car accident early Saturday morning in their home state of Washington. Thomas, who learned of her death after practice Saturday, played Sunday and scored a team-high 33 points in the top-seeded Celtics’ 106-102 loss to the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden.
James didn’t send his condolences to Thomas and his family via social media because of James’ playoff-imposed blackout. But he did convey his sympathy after Monday’s shoot-around before Game 2 of the Cavs’ series against the Pacers at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
“My deepest sympathy and prayers goes up to him and his mother, his father, whoever is in his life. I’m not quite sure who’s in his life,” James said. “Had to be a tough situation for him, just going out and playing a game and obviously, who cares about the game? That’s so silly to even think about basketball when something like that tragic happens.
“He obviously is a strong-willed guy. I got to know him the last couple years. It’s unfortunate something like that has happened at a time like this. Obviously, our world is kind of revolved around basketball, but like I said who cares about basketball when something like that happens?”
James tried to put himself in Thomas’ shoes.
“It’s a sick feeling. I don’t have any siblings, but I have some very, very close people in my life and I can only imagine how that would take your heart away,” James said. “Especially at a time like this. And he was unbelievable in the game, too, by the way.”
Getting shots
In Game 1, the Pacers appeared to pay a lot of attention to the Cavs’ perimeter shooters, especially Korver, who only got off one shot, which he made. Korver and J.R. Smith combined for 2-of-5 shooting in the game.
“I don’t think many of us got any looks,” he said. “That was their game plan and that’s fine with us. We’ll let LeBron and Kyrie attack the basket on mismatches every night. Just got to be ready if the game plan changes and be ready for the shot when the shots do come.”
James knows the Cavs will need Korver’s skills.
“We’ve got to do a better job of trying to find him,” James said, “but at the end of the day, Kyle’s presence on the floor doesn’t always result in how many shot attempts he gets.
“When he’s on the floor, he’s a threat. So that’s one defender that we don’t have to worry about.”
Speaking of defense
In the series opener, Smith received the assignment to guard Pacers forward Paul George. Lue said he went in that direction based on the team’s last regular-season game in which George was guarded by James and scored 43 points. Smith also got the nod for Monday’s Game 2 before injuring his hamstring in the second quarter.
“They tried to run LeBron around a lot. He was able to guard him one-on-one, he was able to take the post-up away. They did a good job of trying to run him off screens and run him around and try to wear him down,” Lue said. “I just thought we’d give J.R. the assignment to take the challenge. J.R. did a great job last game.”
George’s controversy
George received a bit of backlash for the Pacers’ final possession in Game 1.
George got the ball to start the possession and the Cavs quickly double-teamed him. He gave the ball up to teammate C.J. Miles
“I gave the ball up to try to soften them up to get the ball back. I talked to C.J. about it, in situations like that, I have to have the last shot,” George said after Saturday’s game. “I was asking for it.”
Apparently he had a change of heart after looking at the film.
“I thought he had a good look. A very makeable shot for C.J.,” he told NBA.com “But I was selfish in the moment. I wanted that shot in that moment.”
Shot of confidence?
Pacers coach Nate McMillan was asked if that shot gave the Pacers confidence that they could beat the Cavs. He gave an unequivocal answer.
“We believe. We came in believing, we still believe,” he said, “but we’ve got to work harder and do some things better to win the ballgame. But we believed all the time.”
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs.