Even LeBron buying teammates matching designer suits couldn't help Cavs win Game 3
LeBron James may have kitted out his teammates in matching designer suits so they could travel to Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in style, but snazzy haberdashery had nothing on Bojan Bogdanovic’s 3-point stroke as the Cavs blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost to the Pacers 92-90 Friday night.
The Pacers, a team so little-known among casual basketball fans that the national media had to check Basketball Reference just to find out who besides Victor Oladipo is on the team, have taken a 2-1 series lead after they stole home court away in an 18-point Game 1 victory in Cleveland.
The Cavs did look sharp in those suits, though:
Today’s @Cavs #NBAStyle! #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/qx3TofFZEx
— NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2018
LeBron tapped fashion designer Thom Browne to create the custom-fitted suits for every player, and this wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment decision. As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin pointed out on Twitter, it takes time and planning to make custom-made clothing like this. You don’t just go to Target and buy this stuff off the clearance rack.
LeBron James planned this ahead of time. Players were fitted by tailors in Cleveland weeks ago and packed the ensemble for the trip. I've seen this with USA Basketball and college teams before, but never an NBA team (other than the Wizards all wearing black) https://t.co/U8Z5qHfDO4
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 20, 2018
This is not to say that the suits met with universal acclaim. Many thought Larry Nance in particular wasn’t thrilled with his attire.
https://twitter.com/NifMuhammad/status/987542875205505024
https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/987460939636191233
And when you wear matching suits, you should probably win the game, lest you get savaged by the boo birds on social media:
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/987503016956776448
Everything went so well at first, though. After trading baskets with the Pacers early, Cleveland’s defense looked nothing like the 29th-ranked unit they were during the regular season.
They trapped Oladipo relentlessly, forced seven first-quarter turnovers and opened up a double-digit lead that ballooned all the way to 57-40 at halftime.
Even though Indiana charged back into the game, Cleveland led by six at the third-quarter break, which this season has meant “pack it in, game’s over”: Before Friday, the Cavs were 43-0 in regular season and playoffs combined when ahead or tied after the third quarter.
But Bojan Bogdanovic had other ideas; with the game tied at 77, the Croatian hit two 3-pointers, one of them resulting in a foul call and a four-point play, and finished the game 7-of-9 from long range and with 30 points to his name.
Bojan Bogdanovic is on fire! 🔥🔥
Consecutive triples puts the @Pacers on top 84-77! #Pacers
5:40 left in the 4th on @ESPNNBA pic.twitter.com/tjdO1DTptk
— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2018
The seven 3-pointers tied a Pacers franchise playoff record alongside Chuck Person and Reggie Miller.
Pacers fans had a blast, first pointing out that Bogdanovic looks as little like an assassin as a pro athlete can look:
The Cavs really wore matching $3,000 suits just to get bodied a dude who looks like he sells life insurance on the side akfdjakldgfjalfk https://t.co/70DJoZT1M8
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) April 21, 2018
The “BoJack Horseman” pun made an appearance…
BOJAN HORSEMAN IS HERE pic.twitter.com/GFdEjmx2A4
— 8 Points, 9 Seconds (@8pts9secs) April 20, 2018
Before Sunday’s action, James had never lost a first-round playoff Game 1 in his career. A LeBron-led team hasn’t been bounced in the first round in the 13 seasons in which James has been in the playoffs. The last time LeBron even played a Game 6 in the first round was in 2008, when his Cleveland squad disposed of the Wizards in six.
But the way his supporting cast is playing this year, those suits do indeed look like LeBron’s career in Cleveland is the featured attraction at a funeral. Sixers, Rockets and Lakers fans are licking their chops at the upcoming free agent market.
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