LeBron is 'the last guy to ask' about embarrassing game 1 loss
To put it bluntly, the Cleveland Cavaliers got embarrassed on Sunday.
LeBron James and company were blown out at home by a lower-seeded team, the Indiana Pacers, in Game 1 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
It’s not the way you want to start the defense of your conference title, but James isn’t panicking just yet.
“I’ve always stayed even-keeled with the postseason,” James said, according to ESPN. “I mean, I’m down 0-1 in the first round. 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.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCUezJ7G95A
The Cavaliers don’t get a chance to even the series until Wednesday, which could be a long time for some players to stew on the loss and perhaps read about their demise in the media. But James sees it differently.
“For me, playing 44 minutes its an opportunity to rest,” James said. “I’ll take the two days. I need the two days now. I didn’t expect to play 44.”
When told by a reporter that he has never been down 0-1 in the first round of the playoffs throughout his entire career, James was surprised. However, he said he won’t let the noise from traditional and social media outlets bother him.
“I’m not on social media. When I watch the games I put some music on — I don’t even listen to the commentators, all throughout the playoffs,” James said.
The Pacers jumped all over the Cavs in Game 1, racing out to a 33-14 lead after one quarter and never looking back on their way to a 98-80 win.
“They came in and they dictated the tempo, they were more aggressive. They just played inspired basketball and they just took advantage of everything we wanted to try and do,” James said. “They were more physical with us at the point of attack, they were more precise with what they wanted to do and we couldn’t score the ball.”
In the regular season, the Cavs were ranked as one of the league’s worst defensive teams, but James said the problem in Game 1 had more to do with the offense than the defense.
“I think defensively we were pretty good. We gave up 98 points but 80 is definitely not going to cut it,” he said. “We’re going to have to make some adjustments and be a lot better.”
James recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Power forward Kevin Love, though, added only nine points. Love needs to step up his offensive production if the Cavs want to advance in this series.
“Everybody has to dig deep and not lose two on our home floor,” James said.
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