After winning the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals by a combined 50 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked to be cruising to a second straight Finals berth. Six days later, they improbably find themselves in a best-of-three dogfight with an indefatigable Raptors squad that found another gear at home in Toronto.
With the series swinging back to Cleveland for Game 5 Wednesday night, LeBron James isn't sweating over missed opportunities; he's savoring the opportunity he still has in front of him.
"A sense of calmness, that's all," James told reporters at shootaround Wednesday morning, describing his mentality going into Game 5. "This is a very calm moment for myself, personally. I relish this opportunity to just be a part of the postseason once again, and be 2-2 on my home floor, so, just a sense of calmness."
James has never lost a series (17-0) in his career when his team wins the first two games, but he's just 6-6 in in Game 5s when the series is tied 2-2.
"I've been on both sides," he said. "I've been on the side that's went up 3-2, I've been on the side that's went down 3-2. When the series is tied 2-2, that's a pivotal game, obviously. We all know that. We want to come out with the mindset and the understanding of how important this game is to both teams and have a sense of urgency from the beginning."
While his high-profile teammates have vanished for portions of this series, James has been a monster - not a "bad monster," Raptors coach Dwane Casey makes clear - throughout. He's averaged 25 points (on 64.4 percent shooting), 8.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.3 steals. In the Cavs' Game 4 loss, he led the team in all four categories, while playing a game-high 46 minutes.
James has every reason to feel confident in how he himself will perform in Game 5. He could probably use some more help, though.
