LeBron James almost pulled a prank on the home crowd at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday night during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 116-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
After the Cavs, who lead the Eastern Conference Semifinals 1-0, built a sizable (87-71) lead in the third quarter on Monday, James decided to poke a little fun at the arena’s beer lady and almost snatched a beer bottle from her bucket.
“The King” hopped over to the sideline, grabbed the bottle and pretended to take a swig from it, and finally handed it back to the female vendor, who seemed utterly amused by James’ comedic stunt, as did several Cleveland fans who cheered and applauded. This came after James battled through a strong foul from Serge Ibaka to take a shot that didn’t quite go in.
Even James’ teammate J.R. Smith couldn’t help but laugh at the star forward’s antics.
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James was asked about the quirky moment in the post-game press conference and the All-Star explained that it isn’t the alcohol factor that kept him from trying the drink, but rather just the type of drink. He’s not a very big fan of beer, as it turns out, and prefers a more refined brand of booze.
“I’m not going to run over our beer lady,” James stated. “She had one in her hand, so I took it out of her hand. But I’m not much of a beer guy. If she had some red wine, I probably would’ve definitely taken a sip.”
James finished with 35 points in Monday’s win. The Cavaliers, who are 16-1 at home against Eastern teams in the NBA playoffs since 2015, next host the Raptors for Game 2 on Wednesday night.
CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 7: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks for a pass while under pressure from DeAndre’ Bembry #95 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Quicken Loans Arena on April 7, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio.
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