The four-time MVP injured his back on a first half play when trying to chase a lose ball.
“I’m not where I want to be,” James said. “I’m going to continue to work at it. I’ve had back issues before. I kind of know how to tackle it but I’m not where I want to be physically.
“I’m probably going to continue to play though it and just do the exercises and treatment. There’s nothing you can do about it. There’s nothing going [on] in there that’s structural damage. I don’t know. It’s that time of year, I guess.”
He finished the game with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. James said this isn’t the first time dealing with the injury. He also mentioned in the video above of how he’s been having back injuries since his third season (2005-06).
So far in six games this season, James has averaged 24.3 points, 7.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 37 minutes per contest.
If the Heat want to have a shot at getting another NBA Finals championship, James needs to be 100 percent. Miami should be careful and monitor the situation.
Sitting him down and missing some games in November to be cautious sounds a lot better than having their superstar not ready for the games that really count, like those in the postseason and possibly the Finals. The defending champions have the necessary depth in their roster to overcome James missing a few games.
It’s been said by some of the brightest coaches and former players around the league that the toughest part of winning a third straight title is the mental part. Players get to be fatigued after playing so many more games through the years than their opponents, and it hits them hard.
We'll see if Miami is able to overcome all of these superstitions throughout the season.
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By John Ledesma
