As it seems, there is some substance to Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris' bold statement. When Morris said just before the Eastern Conference finals that he is the best player not named Kawhi Leonard when it comes to guarding Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, not a few people laughed it off as just another careless blabber James would take no time disproving.
However, Morris did appear to have locked James down during Sunday’s 108-83 win over the Cavs in Game 1 of the series at home. Guarded primarily by Morris, James shot 5-for-16 from the field and 0-for-5 from behind the arc. He also struggled to handle the leather, as he collected seven of Cleveland’s nine turnovers in the game. (In the Toronto series, James only had eight miscues in four games.) All told, Morris certainly could say he did a fine job keeping the four-time MVP in check.
Also, according to ESPN Stats & Info, Morris has held James to only 33.0 percent field goal shooting since 2013-14. That’s the second-worst mark for James opposite a defender he’s taken at least 50 shots against.
Maybe Marcus is onto something…
Since 2013-14, LeBron James has at least 50 FGA against 26 players in the halfcourt.
He's shooting 33% when defended by Marcus Morris. The only player to force James into a lower percentage in that span is Draymond Green.
h/t @SecondSpectrum pic.twitter.com/1a3JAGlsbO
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 13, 2018
Morris, however, did not do well defensively in the regular season, as the Cavs forward made 50.0 percent of his shots and averaged 12 points against the former Kansas Jayhawk in two meetings prior to the playoffs.
In any case, Morris will have to continue sticking to James like glue for the rest of the series. He’ll be back doing the unenviable task of covering LeBron James on Tuesday for Game 2 of the series at TD Garden.
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