Help out a guy who only watches on TV

[reggiecleveland]

I went to the the Heat at Magic Jan 4. It was my first regulr season NBA game. Lebron had a bad shooting night. What struck me is his warmup was brutal. He joked around talking to people under the hoop, on the side line, etc almost the entire time. Dwade, Ray, Bosh, seemed far more intense, as was almost everyone save Micahle Beasley who jacked around a bit himself. But, even at the end of the warm up Beasley turned it up a notch. My old school coach side sees Lebron missing his first 7 shots related to his poor prep, lack of focus against a crappy opponent whose starting post was out. But at half time he came out and with more focus took extra shots.
 
But, I have not seen any other NBA games. Does LBJ always warm up this way? Do other NBA guys have similar lax appraoches in pregame? Friends have told me of games they have attended about the intensity coming off Jordan in warmups, and the obsessive pre game shoots of Nash, Bird, Kobe.
 
I am wandering what others have observed when at games of the pregame approaches of great players?

 

[Corsi]

Here are some videos of LeBron warming up.  Don't care enough to watch them myself to see if he's loafing, but have it.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8jQCKh3NF0
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gcVZ0LNFrY
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyb__CEHAg0
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN1G5WQhPy8

 

[TheGoldenGreek33]

About all I know about LeBron's warm up:
 
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCbGatj2j5k[/media]

 

[reggiecleveland]

I am not just interested in him. I am interested how NBA guys warm up. I am wondering if the lax approach is more common than I would expect.

 

[ifmanis5]

I remember the warmups to Game 6 of the ECF Cavs at Celtics in 2010 (LeBron's last game as a Cav). We were taking in the clean feed and saw the whole thing for both teams. LeBron (and the rest of the Cavs taking a cue from their leader) were joking, keeping loose, staying positive but generally taking it easy. The Celtics had basically war faces on. Not much talking, very determined, all business and with looks that could cut a diamond. I had a pretty good idea that they would win the game and did. Of course, perhaps Del West's Mom played a bigger factor. But still.

 

[mandro ramtinez]

I remember the warmups to Game 7 of the ECF Cavs at Celtics in 2010 (LeBron's last game as a Cav). We were taking in the clean feed and saw the whole thing for both teams. LeBron (and the rest of the Cavs taking a cue from their leader) were joking, keeping loose, staying positive but generally taking it easy. The Celtics had basically war faces on. Not much talking, very determined, all business and with looks that could cut a diamond. I had a pretty good idea that they would win the game and did. Of course, perhaps Del West's Mom played a bigger factor. But still.

That was game 6 of the Eastern Semis.
 
I've often heard descriptions of the intense shooting workouts guys like Ray Allen and Larry Bird would do a couple of hours before the game when the crowd had not yet arrived.  I would not be surprised if Lebron had a similar routine and felt like the layup lines were just a chance to stay loose before the game.

 

[Brickowski]

Bird would shoot for an hour before each game. He would start around 6 feet from the basket and move gradually out from there. He didn't move from a particular spot until he had swished a half dozen or so. Even when the shots went in, he didn't like the ball touching the rim.