- Indiana gives a scare to the conference champs as Cleveland wins in 7. - May 3, 2018
- Hail to the King - May 3, 2018
LeBron James lost the opening game of the postseason for the first time in his career. ”I’m down 0-1 in the first round,’ LeBron James said to the TNT post game reporter. “I was down 3-1 in the Finals. So, I’m the last guy to ask about how you’re going to feel the next couple days.”
Handing the Cavaliers that 98-80 loss, Indiana held Cleveland to a stingy 38 percent shooting clip, and an even stingier 23 percent from beyond the arc.(NBA.com) Victor Oladipo scored 32 points to LeBron’s 24, and the Pacers rolled to a game one victory.
Lance Stephenson slammed the ball during a fast break where LeBron was slow to get back, and pushed the score to 30-10 with a minute to go in the first on the TNT broadcast. Stephenson headbutted the stanchion shouting in approval, and Indiana was rolling with all the momentum.
Lebron James credits the Pacers on their play, but claims that the loss was more of an issue on the Cavs part. “They were more aggressive, They just played inspired basketball and they just took advantage of everything we wanted to try and do. They were more physical than us at the point of attack, and they were most precise with what they wanted to do and we couldn’t score the ball.”
James did not receive much help from his teammates, as the other four Cleveland starters- George Hill, Rodney Hood, Kevin Love, and Jeff Green- combined to score 25 points at 33 percent clip.
James did not attempt a shot within the first 10 minutes of game one, and by the time he had Indianna had already jumped out to a 17 point lead.
Such was not the case in game 2
James scored the game’s first 16 points, and in a game where no other Cavalier scored more than 15 points, lead Cleveland to a 100-97 victory. James finished the game with 46 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes. ‘‘Coach Lue called up the first play for me and it went down,” James told the Ohio Athletic reporter. ”So we went back to it. I was able to hit another one. And it just felt like I was in a really good rhythm, so I just tried to see how long I could stay in that zone and try to make a mark on the game early on.’
When the series shifted to Indiana, the teams split the pair of games with the Pacers and Cavs winning games 3 and 4 respectively. Game 5 went to the Cavs thanks to a shot at the buzzer by LeBron James, and Indiana took game 6 in dramatic fashion with a 34 point blowout. (NBA.com) It looked as if this upstart Pacers team had given LeBron all he could handle.
Since coming into the league in 2003, James has never rested more than 15% of any given season, regular season and playoffs combined. He has averaged 42 minutes per game during the playoffs over his whole career. Sunday marked his 225th playoff game, placing him 6th all time. (Basketball Reference.com)
LeBron James was not ready to call it. Not yet at least. James scored 45 points and snagged 12 rebounds, as Cleveland beat Indiana 105-101 to win the series 4-3. James played 44 minutes, and the only time he rested was when he had to go to the locker room briefly during the opening minutes of the 4th quarter. “Just had a little minor injury that we had to take care of to get ready for the 4th quarter.’ James told a reporter from Cleveland.com. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that James was offered IV fluids for his cramps by a team doctor, but he refused.
James received some help from his teammates Sunday afternoon, as four other Cavaliers scored in double figures. Cleveland’s head coach Tyronn Lue started Tristan Thompson, who had fallen out of the rotation during the series. Thompson scored 15 points to go along 10 rebounds. He also had a crucial block on Victor Oladipo down the stretch of the TNT broadcast that helped the Cavs seal the win. George Hill returned after a three game absence to contribute 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 19 minutes. “I mean how do we split the game ball in half between Tristan and G-Hill?’ James asks Doris Burke during the courtside postgame interview. “Guys just staying ready that’s what professionalism is all about.’
Tougher opponents wait for the Cavs in the north, and the Toronto Raptors have the home court advantage. James clearly isn’t done building onto his legacy. The question is whether his teammates want to help him add on to it or not.