CAVALIERS James struggles in summer finale, looks forward to month-long rest

LeBron shot just 2-for-14 in an 80-76 loss to Washington.
BOSTON (AP) -- LeBron James struggled in his final Boston summer league game.
The No. 1 NBA draft pick went 2-for-14 from the field and missed two free throws that would have tied it with about 15 seconds left in Cleveland's 80-76 loss to Washington on Sunday.
James didn't decide to play until game time, having bruised his leg in a collision with Milwaukee guard T.J. Ford on Saturday.
"I just gave the fans what they wanted and came out and played," James said.
When he entered the gym for warmups, James was greeted by fans with resounding applause, and he acknowledged them with a pair of thunderous dunks on his first two trips through the layup line.
He gave the crowd one more thrill in the third quarter by slamming home an alley-oop pass from Darius Miles.
James, who went straight from high school to the NBA, finished the game against the Wizards with nine points, two rebounds and one assist in 24 minutes -- all lows for summer league play. He also committed five turnovers, the most he's had.
Busy life
His life has been a whirlwind the past two weeks, with summer league games in Orlando and Boston, plus a trip to an awards show.
A sore knee and fatigue could have given James an excuse to sit out the finale, but he said he didn't want to sit out his last game before training camp and disappoint a supportive crowd.
He began the week with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists against Boston on Monday, but he flew to Los Angeles for the awards show and didn't play again until Friday.
In four games, James showed flashes of brilliance, but also some inexperience. The missed free throws in Sunday's game highlighted a rough week at the foul line for James, who went 13-of-24 on free throws overall.
He averaged 15.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in Boston.
Cleveland begins training camp in September, and James plans to spend the next few weeks resting his body in preparation for what will surely be one of the most anticipated rookie seasons in sports history.
"A gym and a basketball -- I'm always looking forward to it," James said. "When I step on the court, and we add the rest of the guys we have ... that's going to make us a much better team, also, so I'm just looking forward to really playing this season."