Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) loses control of the ball between Phoenix Suns Devin Booker (1) and Archie Goodwin (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
LeBron James scored 21 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday to ensure new coach Tyronn Lue’s ticket to the All-Star Game.
Just three games into his new coaching job with the Cavs following the shock sacking of David Blatt, Lue and the Cleveland coaching staff will now be in charge of the Eastern Conference team next month.
Under NBA rules, the team with the best record after January 31 is selected to coach the All-Star teams — a status Cleveland clinched with a 115-93 victory.
Although Cleveland’s 32-12 record was compiled under Blatt, the former coach is ineligible to take feature at the All-Star Game after being fired.
“It’s a tribute to Coach Blatt and the players and the hard work the assistant coaches put in to get us to this point,” Lue said Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a great honor to represent the Cleveland Cavaliers and having a chance to do this, I know my coaches are excited, and I know it’s going to be a surreal moment.”
Kevin Love, who matched James’ 21-point contribution, congratulated Lue on taking charge of the All-Star team.
“He’s won 66 percent of his games so far,” Love said. “I don’t think it’ll be his last time coaching the All-Star game. We’re happy for him.”
Against Phoenix on Wednesday there was only ever going to be one winner after the Cavs reeled off 12 unanswered points at the start of the third quarter to open an unassailable lead.
That miserable sequence for Phoenix allowed Cleveland to build a 17-point advantage, which stretched to a 28-point that the Suns never seemed likely to catch.
James also had nine assists to go with his points haul, while Love weighed in with 11 rebounds.
The win came after James had been forced into launching an impassioned defense of his conduct leading to Blatt’s dismissal, taking aim at critics who blamed him for instigating the sacking.
“I think it does suck that people want to throw my name in dirt for no particular reason, because of speculation or whatever the case may be,” James told reporters before Wednesday’s game.
“I’ve never, in my time since I picked up a basketball, ever undermined a coach, ever disrespected a coach,” the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player added.
“And I’m not the owner of a team, I’m not the GM of a team. I’m the player of a team.”
Speculation about tensions between Blatt and James has bubbled since last season, when there were clear signs of friction between the two men during the Cavs run to the NBA finals.