LeBron downplays spinning ball vs. Ibaka: 'It was a mental thing'

LeBron James casually spun the basketball in his hands while behind the arc with Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka in his grill minutes into the second quarter of Wednesday's Game 2. He then spotted up and drilled a 3-pointer, which put the Cleveland Cavaliers up by 13 at the time.

Talking to reporters ahead of Game 3 at the Air Canada Centre on Friday, James said he wasn't trying to disrespect Ibaka by spinning the ball as if he were about to shoot at the charity stripe.

"It's bait," said The King, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "If (Ibaka) would have reached in, I would have put it on the floor.

"It was a mental thing. Everything I do is mental."

James laughed when a reporter compared the possession to the time Michael Jordan palmed the basketball and waved it around while defended by Washington Bullets guard Brent Price during a road game in 1996.

While Jordan may have been looking to show up Price, James insists he was trying to create something productive on offense.

"I was just basically in my zone, in my comfort zone, and after I spun the ball and I jabbed him, I seen what I needed to see from the defender to be able to get that shot off," James added. "If I didn't see it, I would have drove it, and if I didn't have the drive, I would have gave it up and let one of my teammates attack."

He added, "What if I missed the shot? What if he stole the ball? We wouldn't be talking about it."

The Cavaliers have a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals following their 125-103 victory at Quicken Loans Arena.