The Cleveland Cavaliers head into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics down 2-0 in the series. Not only did Cleveland drop the first two games, they lacked the competitiveness that has in the past defined LeBron James-led squads.
In fact, Cleveland lost the first two games in Boston by a combined 38 points. Heading into Game 3 Saturday night at home, the Cavaliers know their backs are up against the wall. Those not named King James also fully recognize that they have not done enough to help the MVP candidate out.
In talking about the series, an embattled J.R. Smith offered a bit of information regarding his thought process heading into this weekend’s action.
JR: "Right now, LeBron … is trying to carry us. We've just got to step up and do our job"
— Rick Noland MG/CT (@RickNoland) May 17, 2018
JR: "We have to ramp it up. We're playing too slow. We're making LeBron play hero ball"
— Rick Noland MG/CT (@RickNoland) May 17, 2018
In no way is Smith wrong here. LeBron is averaging 28.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10.5 assists in the first two games of the series. For his part, Smith has scored a grand total of four points on 2-of-16 shooting in the series. He’s joined by George Hill (4.0 PPG), Rodney Hood (6.5 PPG) and Kyle Korver (8.0 PPG) as members of the Cavaliers’ supporting cast that are not doing their jobs.
Interestingly enough, James playing hero ball has not translated to success when he’s actually on the court. Cleveland is a staggering minus-41 in the 75 minutes that James has been on the court in this series. It’s plus-three when he’s on the bench in 21 minutes.
Obviously, this type of offensive strategy isn’t working against the NBA’s best defense. It’s up to others to bail James out at times if Cleveland wants to get back in the series Saturday evening.