Wade to Gilbert: LeBron didn’t ‘quit’

Jul 14, 2010 - Miami, Florida, U.S. - Host DWYANE WADE at the Summer Groove Golf Classic for the Summer Groove kick off charity event. Seminole Hard Rock Presents The Summer Groove July 14-18 is 5 days of non-stop action to benefit local and national programs that enrich the lives of youths.

Dwyane Wade has come to the defense of his new teammate, responding to accusations by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert that LeBron James quit against the Celtics in the playoffs (and against the Magic in last year’s postseason).

Wade said he watched every game in Cleveland’s second-round series against Boston, the team that eliminated the Heat in the opening round of the postseason. The Celtics used a similar defensive scheme against James as they did against Wade to open the playoffs, throwing a slew of challenges in the way of both.

“LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, guys like that understand what Boston’s defense was about,” Wade said. “Their defense was built on not letting one player beat them. You either settle for the outside shot or you pass to your teammates. LeBron had one bad game in the playoffs. Other than that, he did what he could do with the defense all watching him.”

“I don’t see where you can get where he quit,” Wade said. “He just had one bad game. It happens. Kobe had a bad game in the Finals. They won. It didn’t matter. LeBron’s teammates didn’t help him out that game and it made the way he played even worse. But he’s not a quitter. He didn’t quit.”

LeBron was dreadful in Game 5 (3-of-14 shooting) as the Cavs were blown out at home, but he did post a triple-double in Game 6, which is not usually the kind of line that a quitter delivers in an elimination game.

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