Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat December 9, 2016
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James looks at a tablet during a break on the bench against the Miami Heat in the first half. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)
(Joshua Gunter)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Not long after the 4:12 mark of the first quarter Saturday night, when LeBron James had first exited the game, did a gentleman in khakis and a dress shirt with the collar unbuttoned hurry from the tunnel at The Q carrying an iPad toward the Cavs' bench.
Uploaded to the iPad were a number of offensive possessions from James' initial court time in the Cavs' eventual 116-105 win over the Charlotte Hornets, and the team employee was booking it from the video room to hand James the tablet for his study.
It just so happened, in this instance, that James waved off the iPad, sending the carrier back down the tunnel without having studied the uploaded information.
The Cavs know to have that iPad ready every time James comes to the bench, though, because he often studies the instant video cut-ups from the minutes he was on the court while he rests during games.
James is kind of taking advantage of a new NBA rule that allows teams to instantly upload in-game footage to iPads from behind the bench for players and coaches to use.
We say "kind of" here because the Cavs don't actually upload the footage to iPads behind the bench -- they still do it in their video room in the bowels of The Q.
But in the spirit of the new rule, James has begun studying the iPad during games, and is the only Cav to do so.
"Just seeing how defenses are playing me, playing us," James told cleveland.com. "Kind of watching and paying attention to the minutes I was in, so at the last three minutes of the first quarter when I come out, I can watch and see from when I was in. Then I go back in for the second, and I get it once again at the six minute mark of the second quarter. Just trying to stay above the curve and see how i can help."
The league has permitted teams to use iPads on the bench since the 2012-13 season. There's no live streaming on the machines (teams can use, say, a Samsung tablet if they prefer), and no one's checking email or jumping on Twitter.
Some organizations, such as the Portland Trail Blazers, use the tablets often, and were seeking to make changes to their video operations to take advantage of the new rule.
Others, like the Hornets, are slower to the technology.
"We don't even have any out there," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "I've been one place where we did that a little bit. To me, I'm not a fan of it. I think that you can sometimes spend (too) much time watching them on film."
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue doesn't use the iPads during games, either. He said he thought assistant coach Mike Longabardi occasionally uses them to show a play to one of the players. But in a brief interview, Longabardi said he didn't remember doing it this season.
So in-game video study isn't exactly a high priority on the Cavs.
"I don't have time," Lue said. "I've got to come to the huddle with my coaches. We talk, by the time I get to the huddle I've got to draw the play up, the game's about to start. So I don't have a lot of time to do that."
Longabardi said the Cavs did use the iPads more in games during the playoffs and the Finals last season, and the experience would be enhanced by now being able to upload plays for review immediately at the bench, instead of having to wait for them from the tunnel.
Cavs general manager David Griffin said the team would move video equipment to behind the bench once Lue, the coaching staff, and more players started using the equipment.
For now, it's just James.
"I like to watch the game live, too," James explained. "So I'm always watching and looking up so I know what's going on. It's beneficial.
"You should, shoot, its 2017. We should be trying to find ways to continue to build our game. Bring technology into it. If guys want the ability to watch film during the game while they're out, they should do it."