It's far too early to count out LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in this year's NBA Finals following a poor showing in Thursday's Game 1.
The Cavaliers were blown out in the series opener, falling 104-89 at Oracle Arena. But James was one of the few bright spots on a Cleveland roster that failed to produce much offense outside of the big three, finishing with a near triple-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.
Teams that win Game 1 of a Finals matchup by 15 or more points have hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy 11 of the last 13 times, while the Game 1 winner, regardless of the score, wins the series 71 percent of the time.
It also doesn't help that teams that finished the regular season with 65 victories or more have never lost a Finals series. Golden State set a new league record by winning 73 times.
There are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about the Cavaliers' chances of ending Cleveland's title drought. In any series, though, it's all about taking things one game at a time, and, if history is any indication, the Cavs are in a prime position to snatch Game 2 on Sunday night.
The last nine times a James-led team fell in Game 1 of a series, they went on to bounce back in a big way and take Game 2, with four of those instances occurring in The Finals.
James' teams in Game 2s following Game 1 losses (last nine instances)
| Year | Series | Opponent | Game 1 Result | Game 2 Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | East Finals | Orlando Magic | 107-106 L | 96-95 W |
| 2011 | East Finals | Chicago Bulls | 103-82 L | 85-75 W |
| 2012 | NBA Finals | Oklahoma City Thunder | 105-94 L | 100-96 W |
| 2013 | East Semifinals | Chicago Bulls | 93-86 L | 115-78 W |
| 2013 | NBA Finals | San Antonio Spurs | 92-88 L | 103-84 W |
| 2014 | East Finals | Indiana Pacers | 107-96 L | 87-83 W |
| 2014 | NBA Finals | San Antonio Spurs | 110-95 L | 98-96 W |
| 2015 | East Semifinals | Chicago Bulls | 99-92 L | 106-91 W |
| 2015 | NBA Finals | Golden State Warriors | 108-100 L | 95-93 W |
(Courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com)
"I don't know," James said Friday. "My team has always been able to recalibrate, look at the mistakes that we had in Game 1, I guess, and come up with a better game plan in Game 2 and be able to execute it.
"So I've been part of some resilient teams that've bounced back from a Game 1 loss either at home or on the road."
James has averaged 29 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists over those nine Game 2s.
