duncan228
03-26-2010, 12:18 PM
James says scoring title unimportant (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5030453)
ESPN.com news services
LeBron James is on pace to claim his second scoring title after topping the league in 2007-08, when he was a year removed from leading the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals.
Given the choice of either, though, James was emphatic in claiming he could win the scoring championship at will.
But it's the team titles that hold the key, he said.
"It's not important to me at all. I mean right now our team is in a position to try to clinch throughout the whole playoffs," James said of home-court advantage Thursday in San Antonio, where the Cavaliers play the Spurs on Friday night. "That's what position we're in right now. If we can do that, that will be more important than a scoring title. I mean, individual accolades take care of [themselves]."
James, who led the league in minutes played and field goals in two of his first five seasons, picked up his only scoring title in his fourth year. He again leads the NBA in scoring with 29.8 points per game, total points with 2,086 and field goals with 707.
And the Cavs hold a comfortable position in the Eastern Conference standings, seven games in front of second-place Orlando with 10 games left in the regular season.
"If I really wanted to," James said, "if I really wanted to be the scoring [champion] every single year -- every single year -- I could really do it. But it doesn't matter."
ESPN.com news services
LeBron James is on pace to claim his second scoring title after topping the league in 2007-08, when he was a year removed from leading the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals.
Given the choice of either, though, James was emphatic in claiming he could win the scoring championship at will.
But it's the team titles that hold the key, he said.
"It's not important to me at all. I mean right now our team is in a position to try to clinch throughout the whole playoffs," James said of home-court advantage Thursday in San Antonio, where the Cavaliers play the Spurs on Friday night. "That's what position we're in right now. If we can do that, that will be more important than a scoring title. I mean, individual accolades take care of [themselves]."
James, who led the league in minutes played and field goals in two of his first five seasons, picked up his only scoring title in his fourth year. He again leads the NBA in scoring with 29.8 points per game, total points with 2,086 and field goals with 707.
And the Cavs hold a comfortable position in the Eastern Conference standings, seven games in front of second-place Orlando with 10 games left in the regular season.
"If I really wanted to," James said, "if I really wanted to be the scoring [champion] every single year -- every single year -- I could really do it. But it doesn't matter."