The first major statement Tyronn Lue made as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers was made quietly when he pulled LeBron James aside and told him to cut out the distractions and focus on basketball.
James had been engaging in cryptic social media behavior, fraternized on-court with Dwyane Wade and spoke about teaming up with Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.
Regardless of how it was initially received, James has clearly let the message positively impact his play and behavior.
Over the past seven games, James is averaging 28.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.6 assists while shooting 57 percent from the field and 38 percent on 3-pointers. The Cavs are 6-1 in those games, squeezing the No. 1 seed in the East as their magic number to clinch it is down to three.
"I think he's been leading by example knowing the playoffs are coming up and we have to get ready for this stretch," Lue said. "I think he's done a great job of setting the tone for us."
"I'm going to continue to lead this team in the right direction," James said. "I'm ready. I feel great. This is the best I've felt in the last couple of years. … If the playoffs started tomorrow, we'd be ready to go."