Pistons guard Stanley Johnson has had no problem speaking his mind during Detroit's first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers, but head coach Stan Van Gundy wants the rookie to ease up a bit.
After losing Game 2 to the Cavaliers on Wednesday, Johnson said he was "definitely" in James' head. But James went 6-for-6 from the floor against Johnson en route to 27 points.
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"I had a talk with Stan today, and so I'll leave it at that," Van Gundy said Thursday, via ESPN.com. "I told him what I thought about his comments and everything. That's a discussion that we had today."
Van Gundy, who has made some controversial comments of his own regarding James in this series, admitted even he cringed when he first saw what Johnson said.
"Well, look, you do [cringe] a little bit," he said. "But you also, you have to realize he's a 19-year-old kid going through this for the first time. You get him right after a game like that, and he's frustrated and all of that. We met, we talked. He knows how I feel, what my concerns are, but it wasn't a — at least I hope he didn't take — it wasn't an anger session. It wasn't a 'you're an a—hole type of thing.' It wasn't. It's just another learning experience for a 19-year-old kid."
Over the last few months, Johnson has made enemies with a couple of the game's biggest stars. First it was Kevin Durant, when the Thunder star said, "Who cares about Detroit?" when asked why he was resting during a game against the Pistons late in the season.
Now it's James. But Van Gundy doesn't think his rookie's comments will affect how James plays in Game 3.
"No," Van Gundy said. "Look, LeBron understands that it's about the game. I don't think a guy like him needs much more motivation. They're talking about trying to win a championship. That's a lot more motivating than something a rookie might have said."