Excerpt from Chris Sheridan of espn.comBut the real focus for James and the Cavs has been on the defensive end, where they were ranked first or second in the league (along with Boston) all year long. James, never a truly great defender before, became a feared stopper whose fabulous blocked shots rivaled his thunder dunks for highlight appeal.
Daniel "Boobie" Gibson said he and his teammates noticed the difference in James as soon as training camp began. While resting on the sidelines during practices after helping Team USA win Olympic gold, James kept yelling about defense, encouraging his teammates to sell out on that end of the floor. Obviously, he backed up his words once he started playing.
"I had never seen him like that before," Gibson said. "All he was talking about was defense."
