LeBron James Is Not Concerned After Game 1 Blowout Loss Vs. Celtics
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the Eastern Conference Finals once again, facing Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics. While the Cavaliers entered the series as favorites, the Celtics made a big statement in Game 1 with a 108-83 blowout win. Boston is playing without stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, but that hasn’t seemed to matter so far this postseason.
Despite the loss, “The King” is not concerned. Remember, Cleveland has battled back already this postseason from a 1-0 and 2-1 series hole against the Indiana Pacers.
When asked if he was concerned, James had an answer that Cleveland fans will not be surprised to hear.
“I have zero level of concern. I never went to college. This isn’t March Madness.”
Cleveland may not be worried, but the Celtics are confident. They came into the series confident and their Game 1 win will simply boost it to a new level. Boston has played well all postseason and they are a team that can give James and company a run for their money.
It has been obvious so far in the playoffs that the Cavaliers do not have a strong supporting cast around James. He was able to power the Cavs past the Pacers in the first round, and they swept the Toronto Raptors in the second round. That being said, James has been playing at the highest level that anyone has seen from him.
Even as a 33-year-old, James’ game seems to continue getting better.
The Celtics take Game 1 against the Cavs 108-83. Cleveland's 25-point loss is the 2nd-largest Game 1 loss by a LeBron James team in his playoff career (27-point loss in the 2006 East Semis).
James was guarded by Marcus Morris on 24 plays, finishing with 5 points on 2-6 shooting. pic.twitter.com/NOuPpMS3wz
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 13, 2018
In Game 1, however, James only scored 15 points to go along with nine assists and seven rebounds. He shot 5-for-16 from the field, which isn’t normal shooting numbers that fans expect to see from the best player in the world.
Marcus Morris made it clear leading up to the series that he was looking forward to the matchup with James. He even stated that he played James the best of any player not named Kawhi Leonard in the NBA.
“I’m a little older, a little more experienced. Personally, I think I’m probably the best guy defending him in the league, outside of Kawhi.”
Boston will try to take a big 2-0 lead in the series on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m on ESPN. James and the Cavaliers will be looking to steal a game on the road to steal home-court advantage. This series is going to be an intriguing matchup between two quality basketball games, and Cleveland will look like a different team in Game 2 after this embarrassing loss.
