LeBron James delivered his best shot in the first half of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. At least, until Jayson Tatum inadvertently delivered a shot of his own.
LeBron takes a shot on the jaw. The kind of thing that knocks a fighter out. He went to the locker room after the FTs. Concerning pic.twitter.com/VROoCGh094
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) May 16, 2018
Kneeling on the ground, LeBron James looked mortal for perhaps the first time in his career. While he did return to put together a 42-point, 12-assist, and 10-rebound triple-double, he clearly wasn't the same player, recording six turnovers.
But even before James retreated to the locker room momentarily, flaws in the Cavaliers' approach were apparent. Despite LeBron James' blistering start to give the Cavs an early edge, breakdowns in the Cavs' defense revealed Bostons' victory wasn't just a matter of if, but when.
Going into Game 3, the Cavaliers are leaning on LeBron more than ever; struggling to create anything without him.
Kinda feels like LeBron is going to have to create every basket going forward pic.twitter.com/zHpxGVLNxj
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) May 16, 2018
Down 0-2, the Cavaliers face historical odds. Roughly 93 percent of teams to drop the first two games go on to lose the series. And while the potential for Cleveland to recover behind its prolific offense still exists, Celtics' Head Coach Brad Stevens appears to have an answer for ever Cavaliers' counter.
In the latest BBALLBREAKDOWN podcast, Coach Dave DuFour joins me to discuss Game 2, including LeBron James and the league's concussion protocol, Stevens performance thoroughly out-coaching the Cavs' Tyronn Lue, and the increasingly obvious reality that the Celtics are simply the better team.
Will the Cavaliers respond at home? Is LeBron's greatness a detriment to his team? How did the Celtics win Game 2? The only question left is, say it with me, are you in?
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