LeBron: Data suggesting I'm slow is 'dumbest s--- I've ever heard'

Men lie, women lie, numbers ... also sometimes lie. That's LeBron James' contention, at least where the NBA's tracking data is concerned.

That data, provided to the NBA by Second Spectrum, has tracked James' average speed during the postseason at 3.73 mph, making him the second-slowest mover (minimum 10 minutes) in these playoffs, just behind Jeff Teague and just ahead of Carmelo Anthony and James Harden.

When he was made aware of the stat after hanging 44 points on the Boston Celtics in a series-tying Game 4 win Monday night, James bristled.

"That's the dumbest s--- I've ever heard," he told The Athletic's Jason Lloyd. "That tracking bulls--- can kiss my ass. The slowest guy? Get out of here."

Of course, that stat isn't actually reflective of what James can do at his top gear - the terrifying freight-train speed to which he can seemingly accelerate at will. To conserve his fuel, the 33-year-old with over 54,000 minutes on his NBA odometer has learned to accelerate selectively and find time to recharge his motor during games. So, even if his top speed remains elite, he moves slower on average than almost anyone.

Still, James - who played the full 82-game schedule during the regular season while leading the league in minutes per game - wasn't quite satisfied with that explanation, insisting he empties his tank every game.

"Tell them to track how tired I am after the game, track that s---," James said. "I'm No. 1 in the NBA on how tired I am after the game."

Whatever the case, James is obviously doing something right. He's averaging 33.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, nine assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks on .550/.320/.732 shooting in this year's playoffs while leading his ragtag Cleveland Cavaliers to within two games of the NBA Finals.