LeBron James has carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, but Metta World Peace wants to see him work harder on defense.

Four-time MVP James will feature in the Finals for the eighth straight season when the Cavs take on the Golden State Warriors in game one at Oracle Arena on Thursday.

The 33-year-old had seven 40-point matches in the playoffs and proved key in their game seven win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

Despite his supreme offensive exploits, World Peace would like to see James combine it with a stronger output on the defensive end.

"I'm a huge LeBron fan, I see what he's done with his career. One of the greatest ever," World Peace told Omnisport when promoting his new book.

"When you're playing basketball, you don't see the practices. I don't mean to rain on people's parade, but right now he's not playing defense. But he is carrying his team.

"And for me, I want to see how those numbers look when you have to hustle and score - which he does, but right now maybe he's a little older so I give him that credit.

"His numbers are monstrous but he's giving up three-point shots right now. But he is carrying the whole load, so it weighs itself out. But I want to see that from him now."

James' future at the Cavs remains up in the air with free agency on the horizon at the end of the season, but it has been reported he is keen to give up his ball-handling responsibilities.

It is something World Peace would be eager for, particularly as it would offer the 14-time All-Star more of a chance to display his defense.

He said: "Next year he's saying he might play off the ball, which is going to give him more freedom to hustle, which is going to be really interesting.

"Right now, people just see the numbers, I'm looking at the total game, but I don't say that to rain on his parade."

-  For more information or to order a copy of No Malice: My Life in Basketball or: How a Kid from Queensbridge Survived the Streets, the Brawls, and Himself to Become an NBA Champion, by Metta World Peace please visit www.triumphbooks.com/nomalice.