Certain temptations arise when NBA teams embark on West Coast road trips, with the beautiful weather, nightlife, and local clubs all presenting opportunities for players to indulge and have a good time.
Prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers leaving for their ongoing four-game road trip, which began in Sacramento on Wednesday night, LeBron James talked with some of his teammates about how to conduct themselves appropriately and remain focused on the task at hand.
"His main message was that this is a business trip," J.R. Smith said toCleveland.com's Chris Haynes. "Are we going to have fun? Absolutely, but first things first. We're going to take care of business, and that's playing the way we know how to play. Fortunately, we took heed of his message and played the way we were supposed to."
"You can certainly get caught up in the weather and stuff like that," Smith added.
The Cavaliers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-108, on Thursday, remaining in the city until they played the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. It's not to say the players didn't have fun during that span, but with James speaking his peace ahead of time, everyone knew not to get carried away.
"He just said having a couple of days off in L.A., we had to be professionals and getting our rest," Tristan Thompson told Haynes. "Obviously you want to enjoy the weather and the atmosphere of being on the West Coast, but at the same time, we're here for business and being professionals. That's what we did and it was displayed this afternoon."
Even with a Saturday night presumably out on the town, the Cavaliers played at peak form during their matinee matchup with the Clippers the following day, blowing out Chris Paul and company on their home floor.
"Guys understood what this trip was about," James said. "This is a business trip and they get an opportunity to be in a great city, but at the end of the day, we knew what the main thing was and that was to continue the momentum that we've been on. We came out and took care of business."
LeBron warned Cavaliers teammates of L.A. nightlife prior to road trip
Prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers leaving for their ongoing four-game road trip, which began in Sacramento on Wednesday night, LeBron James talked with some of his teammates about how to conduct themselves appropriately and remain focused on the task at hand.
"His main message was that this is a business trip," J.R. Smith said toCleveland.com's Chris Haynes. "Are we going to have fun? Absolutely, but first things first. We're going to take care of business, and that's playing the way we know how to play. Fortunately, we took heed of his message and played the way we were supposed to."
"You can certainly get caught up in the weather and stuff like that," Smith added.
The Cavaliers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-108, on Thursday, remaining in the city until they played the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. It's not to say the players didn't have fun during that span, but with James speaking his peace ahead of time, everyone knew not to get carried away.
"He just said having a couple of days off in L.A., we had to be professionals and getting our rest," Tristan Thompson told Haynes. "Obviously you want to enjoy the weather and the atmosphere of being on the West Coast, but at the same time, we're here for business and being professionals. That's what we did and it was displayed this afternoon."
Even with a Saturday night presumably out on the town, the Cavaliers played at peak form during their matinee matchup with the Clippers the following day, blowing out Chris Paul and company on their home floor.
"Guys understood what this trip was about," James said. "This is a business trip and they get an opportunity to be in a great city, but at the end of the day, we knew what the main thing was and that was to continue the momentum that we've been on. We came out and took care of business."
LeBron warned Cavaliers teammates of L.A. nightlife prior to road trip
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real men don't worry what other men be warning men about
