USA - James' work ethic rubs off on gunslinger Gibson

CLEVELAND (NBA) - LeBron James has charmed, captivated and inspired millions of fans during his first four years in the NBA.

He is beginning to have that effect on his teammates as well.

James' legend has grown by leaps and bounds over the last two weeks, a span over which the high-flying superstar slammed his critics harder than a windmill jam by leading the Cleveland Cavaliers past the favored Detroit Pistons and into the NBA Finals.

But along with his individual heroics, which included a jaw-dropping 48-point eruption in Game Five, James also has matured as a leader - one who has been more than willing to share the glory with his teammates.

"There is no way we would be here in the Eastern Conference finals or winning the Eastern Conference finals if it was a one-man show," he said. "It's never happened in NBA history, it would never happen in the NBA where a team has one guy and he does it all."

Although he literally was forced to do it all down the stretch in Game Five, James has channelled his confidence into the rest of the Cavaliers, a team which has been accused of lifeless underachieving since James' arrival.

One player who clearly has caught on is rookie guard Daniel Gibson, a second-round draft selection who often looked overmatched and overwhelmed during the regular season.

But the 21-year-old Gibson seemed to mature overnight during the conference finals, emerging as a dangerous perimeter scoring option and taking pressure off James.

"When we got Daniel in the second round, I believe it was a blessing in disguise, I believe we got a steal," James said. "I just knew how good of a basketball player he could be. ... I get to the gym early, he's there before me. We're shooting after practice every single day, and I just see his drive and his passion."

Gibson capped his breakthrough performance by burying the Pistons with a career-high 31 points in Saturday's series-clinching 98-82 victory. The 6ft 2in sniper saved his best for last, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter and drilling four three-pointers over the first five minutes of the period.

A role player who at times struggled to crack the rotation in the regular season, Gibson credited James with building his confidence.

"From Day One, LeBron has been in my corner," Gibson said. "He told me from Day One he was going to make me something special, he was going to do whatever he could to make me better.

"When I took shots, he told me to keep shooting, don't hesitate, don't worry about anything else. When a guy tells you that, you step to it with a lot of confidence and knock it down for him."

Knowing fully well that the battle-hardened Pistons would not allow him to repeat his Game-Five outburst, James went from scorer to distributor in Game Six, dishing out eight assists.

James handed out three of those assists in the fourth quarter to Gibson, who has thrived on the three-time All-Star's ability to draw defenders away from the arc by driving to the basket.
"I told Daniel before the game, I said, 'I believe Detroit is going to double-team me, triple me before I cross half-court,'" James said. "'So get that gun and get it locked and loaded and just shoot it. Don't second guess yourself, just shoot it.' And that's exactly what happened, and guys stepped up."

James will need Gibson and Co. to step up once again if the Cavaliers are going to entertain thoughts of upsetting the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

"San Antonio is the premier team in our league, playing the best basketball better than any team in this league," James said. "They're veterans, they've been there before, they're special. We've got to be even more intense, even more physically and mentally in tune to what's going on."

James knows that Gibson, for one, will be ready to go against the Spurs after averaging 18.0 points and shooting 60% (nine of 15) from the arc over his last four games.

A magician-turned-mentor at the tender age of 22, James gloated like a proud father after Gibson's Game-Six fireworks, recalling the rookie's growing pains and basking in the afterglow of his achievements.

"One day we had a sit-around in the locker room when we were struggling and Daniel said, 'If every guy in this locker room just plays as hard as I want to play on this basketball court, we're going to be something special,'" James said.

"For a rookie, a guy that really is not even supposed to say something or say nothing at all, I remember that. ... I remembered what he was talking about and I stayed on him from there. I just knew he was going to be something special.”

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