He's human after all.
After three Herculean performances to open the NBA Finals, LeBron James ran out of gas down the stretch of Game 4 - a game in which he even showed us he bleeds.
He admitted as much following the Cleveland Cavaliers' 103-82 loss to the Golden State Warriors, which evened the series at two games apiece heading back to California.
LeBron: "I ran through the 12 minutes of the third, and I gassed out." That's why he hoped team could hold up w/o him early in 4th.
— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) June 12, 2015
James had reason to be fatigued after three quarters on Thursday, as he poured in 10 points, six rebounds and four assists while remaining on the floor for the entirety of the third quarter. The Cavs cut a 15-point deficit down to three in the final minute of the frame, but found themselves down 10 after James sat the first 1:49 of the fourth quarter.
The Warriors' rout was on from there, with James failing to score in the final period, which he left with 3:06 remaining and his team down 19.
LeBron on the fans leaving early. "I came out of the game early. We were on the same page."
— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) June 12, 2015
Running on empty was bound to happen for James and the Cavaliers at some point, and it makes sense that Game 4 was the night.
LeBron had been carrying an unprecedented offensive burden for the injury-riddled Cavs, and while his efficiency suffered as a result, he continued to dominate all facets of the game (He finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists on 7-of-22 shooting in Game 4).
Not to mention, David Blatt and the undermanned Cavs had largely been relying on seven players, and Thursday's contest represented the series' third game in five nights.
On a more positive note, the Games 2-4 stretch is also the only time the teams will play such a condensed schedule, with an extra day of rest scheduled between Games 4 and 5 and Game 6 and 7, if necessary.
In other words, with plenty of time to prepare for Game 5, both physically and mentally, and the toughest stretch of The Finals schedule behind them, you can expect a sharper LeBron and co. on Sunday.
