LeBron James famously loves wine.
Typically, he enjoys drinking it when he’s not playing, but apparently exceptions can be made.
On Monday night, James went into the crowd going after a loose ball in the third quarter of the Sixers’ 126-107 win over the Chicago Bulls. There was a brief stir from the fans. We later found out it was because James had taken a sip from a spectator’s cup.
“I crashed into him, spilled some of his wine,” James said. “So I wanted to see if it was worth it on my arm, man. How
good it was.”
So, how good was it?
“It was alright,” he said.
Spoiled by California wines, no doubt, but James is profiling well with his new team.
When James’ agent Rich Paul did his media blitz during his client’s free agency, he mentioned happiness as the biggest factor for the King’s decision.
In the fourth quarter, as the Sixers began to pull away, James found himself guarded by the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Tre Jones. LeBron easily bullied Jones into the post. Jones bit on a fake and Leonard Miller came over to help. James pump-faked again, this time getting Miller in the air, absorbing the contact and burying a short fadeaway.
All of which led to a fun celebration.
And on the next offensive possession, it was Tyrese Maxey’s turn to get into the lane and convert a crazy finish while getting fouled.
And another celebration ensued.
Safe to say, this group is having a good time.
“Listen, it’s a long marathon,” James said, “and if you don’t find ways to have fun throughout it — even though you’re working, even though you’re locked in — it could wear on you. So for me, especially at this point in my career, too, being able to just appreciate the moments, the small moments. These fans are great to us. We try to be great to them as well by playing the game the right way, playing the game hard, and then also just being showmen as well.”
James finished the night with 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Maxey with 26 points and 11 assists. Jaylen Brown had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Joel Embiid, who was on a minutes restriction while managing plantar fasciitis, recorded 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The Sixers as a team had 36 assists on 48 makes.
Tough night for the “there’s only one ball!” crowd.
And let’s not forget about VJ Edgecombe — you know, the guy whose growth was going to be stunted because the Sixers have too many good players. The second-year guard scored a season-high 21 points, his first 20-plus point game on the young season, and dished out five assists.
It was a rewarding scoring night for a guy who’s done all the dirty work for the Sixers’ starting group. Edgecombe said his lower usage rate isn’t his concern, though.
“I don’t get antsy or impatient or anything,” he said. “We’re 7-1 and that’s the most important thing. … And like tonight, I was able to get going a little bit, but once you just find that joy out there, just playing basketball … I was just kind of hard on myself early [this season] because I was missing shots I [usually] make and that’s not on nobody else but me. And like I say, it’s fun when you’re winning. I don’t want to be a cancer because I ain’t getting the shots that I want to get. I’m still learning. I’m in year two.”
The chemistry between the starting group is growing. A 7-1 start is a big help, but there seems to be an eagerness for all of them to learn each other. It’s something that’s been going on since training camp. In fact, a lesson from camp made its way onto the game floor.
James hit Edgecombe with not one but two absurdly accurate bounce passes in transition, but the pair needed to build trust to execute them when it counted.
“There’s a couple times in training camp that he kind of slowed up and didn’t think I’d get the pass there to him,” James said. “And I told him all he has to do is just run, and I’ll try to put it on time, on target as much as I can.”
After the game, Edgecombe described it as a teaching moment. He was rewarded for that diligence.
Against the Bulls, Edgecombe was ready, flushing down multiple transition opportunities.
“If you’re open, he’s going to pass it to you,” Edgecombe said. “The main thing is just being ready. Tonight, I had to run to go get them.”
It’s a fun time to be a Sixer.
And this team is still in the fermentation process.
“It’s a lot of talent, man,” Jaylen Brown said. “And we like each other and we’re just kind of like building that chemistry of how we can get this thing to a well-oiled machine. So I think we’re taking steps forward every single day. I think we still got a long way to go to be a really, really solid, great team. But we’ve been able to win some games. We started out the season 7-1 and you haven’t seen our best version yet. So that’s a good sign.”
