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Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Reasons LeBron and Company Should Panic

By Michael Dunlap

Nov 22, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts in the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 29, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks won 104-85. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks won 104-85. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

LeBron Isn’t Quite LeBron

Yes, we live in a world where 24.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game makes us wonder what’s going on with James. It’s not so much those raw numbers that stand out, but it’s his shooting percentages that have severely fallen off. Is he taking different shots? Not really. His numbers from 2013-14 look very similar — it’s just the success rate that’s plummeted. The chart below includes games completed through the morning of November 22nd.

% of FGA by Distance FG% by Distance
Season Tm G FG% Dist. 2P 0-3 3-10 10-16 16 <3 3P 2P 0-3 3-10 10-16 16 <3 3P
2013-14 MIA 77 .567 11.4 .774 .399 .123 .084 .168 .226 .622 .796 .554 .404 .366 .379
2014-15 CLE 11 .465 11.3 .756 .371 .155 .099 .131 .244 .484 .633 .424 .190 .357 .404
Career 853 .496 12.2 .801 .340 .122 .101 .238 .199 .535 .725 .437 .356 .388 .342
8 seasons CLE 559 .475 12.4 .794 .338 .112 .100 .243 .206 .512 .703 .405 .317 .377 .331
4 seasons MIA 294 .543 11.8 .816 .345 .142 .103 .225 .184 .582 .771 .493 .439 .414 .369

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/23/2014.

Some thought that LeBron’s lighter frame would start affecting his ability to get to and finish at the basket. Certainly, losing weight may have helped his cramping and may have even made him faster, but he’s not bowling through defenders the way he used to. Remember when we talked about the teams’ struggles in the fourth quarter?

LeBron is shooting just 41.9 percent from the field, by far his worst of any quarter. He’s shooting a ghastly 11.1 percent from the 3-point line. His turnovers are at 1.5 and he’s scoring just 4.7 points. His mind still wants to play the same type of game, where he’s the one wearing down defenders. Instead, he’s the one being worn down late in games.

For some reference, in 2013-14 with the Heat, James shot 52.9 percent from the field in the fourth quarter — 41.3 percent from three. He turned it over just .8 times per game and scored 6.5 points.

Next: Coach Blatt Is Struggling