Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took care of business on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. James plans to celebrate the victory Sunday by putting up his feet and watching some much-anticipated NFL action.
James jumped on Twitter to show some support for his hometown Cleveland Browns in advance of their first game of the season.
“Waking up excited as hell for NFL Football Sunday Week 1,” James wrote. “All day long I’ll be watching. Let’s go Browns!! #DoggPound.”
Waking up excited as hell for NFL Football Sunday Week 1!!! All day long I’ll be watching. Let’s go @Browns!! #DoggPound 🐶
Browns fans were sure to note in the comments that James has to work on his Dawg Pound hashtag, but The King is firmly in Cleveland’s corner.
James was born and raised in Ohio and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016 — Cleveland’s first championship in major professional sports since the 1964.
LeBron’s loyalties on the football field have been spread out. He’s openly supported the Cowboys in the past as well as the Browns, but said that Carson Wentz was his favorite player.
“My favorite player right now is Carson Wentz,” James said in 2017. “He’s a very smart player from the outside looking in, obviously, and they’ve got a really good team. I’m a Cowboys fan, I’m a Browns fan, but I’m a fan of sports and I know sports.”
Browns Big Week 1 Underdogs to Ravens
The Browns are fairly large underdogs in Week 1 as they take the Baltimore Ravens, their AFC North rival. The Ravens defied all expectations last season and were the top seed in the AFC, going 14-2 behind league MVP Lamar Jackson. Cleveland is a 7.5-point favorite for the opener, with the total set at 47.5.
The Browns were one of just two teams to stop to Ravens in the regular season last year, and did so in dominant fashion. Cleveland stomped the Ravens 40-25 early on, but Baltimore got revenge later in the season 31-15.
Much of the Browns success will depend on their ability to slow down Jackson, who is equally as dangerous with his legs and he is with his arm. He passed for 3127 yards and 36 touchdowns last season and added 1206 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
“Anybody who’s seen the film knows why he’s so hard to defend,” Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett told reporters this week. “The man runs like a 4.3. He’s as elusive as anybody in the league. I know we give credit to (Texans QB) Deshaun Watson a lot, but he’s just as elusive but faster. If he’s having a good day throwing the ball, he’s very hard to stop. We have to make it hard on him, keep him corralled and not give him any easy targets.”
All Eyes on Odell Beckham in Cleveland
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Browns have one of the most talented offensive skill groups in the NFL, headlined by polarizing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham is looking to bounce back from what was a pedestrian season, by his standards. Despite breaking the 1,000-yard barrier last season, Beckham did not live up to the wild expectations set for him, mostly because the injuries kept him from playing at his full potential. He finished his first season in Cleveland with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns playing from behind from the get-go due to injuries.
Beckham had offseason core surgery and has said that he feels 2020 will be “his year.”
James will surely be cheering on Beckham, who he took under his wing as a mentor in 2017. OBJ also appeared on LeBron’s HBO series “The Shop” last year.
“I just try to be a guidance to him and give him words of advice when he needs it and when he wants it,” LeBron told Dan Duggan of NJ.com in 2017. “He can reach out to me any time no matter what time or what the subject is and I just try to give him a piece of my knowledge. It’s up to him however he wants to take it.”
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