LeBron on letdown game: 'If it was going to happen, let it happen now'
Despite blowing a 21-point second-half lead to the Isaiah Thomas-less Boston Celtics in Game 3 on Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers remain firmly in control of the Eastern Conference finals, up 2-1 in the series with home court still in their favor.
The loss - which, based on the point spread going in, could be called the biggest single-game upset in NBA playoff history - snapped the Cavs' record-tying 13-game postseason winning streak, which stretched all the way back to Game 4 of last year's Finals.
LeBron James, who put forth one of his worst-ever playoff performances after successively stringing together 13 of his best, was looking for silver linings after the letdown. And while he stopped just short of calling it a positive, he's hopeful it'll serve as a wake-up call to a team that's been on cruise control.
"I feel some adversity is all part of the postseason," James told reporters after the game. "I feel like you have to have some type of adversity in order to be successful. So I'm glad it ... I mean, if it was going to happen, let it happen now. Let's regroup and get back to playing desperate basketball, like (Boston) did tonight."
James came into the game averaging 34.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks this postseason, but was held to just 11, six, six, one, and one, with six turnovers in Game 3. He was also held scoreless in the second half, something that hadn't happened to him in a home game in over a decade.
Game 4 goes in Cleveland on Tuesday night.