Last night, the Eastern Conference Finals shifted to Cleveland, where the defending champion Cavaliers served as hosts for the No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics in Game 3. After jumping out to a 21-point lead in the first half, the Cavs fell flat in the second. When the smoke cleared inside Quicken Loans Arena, the Celtics had given the Cavs their first loss of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, 111-108, by way of a buzzer-beating three from Avery Bradley.
For whatever reason, LeBron James really struggled to find a rhythm in last night’s game. In his 45 minutes of playing time, James turned in only 11 points (4-of-13 from the field, 0-of-4 from downtown), six assists, six rebounds, one steal, and one block. In fact, The King had just three points in the second half.
Via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:
“My teammates did a great job of keeping us in the game, building that lead,” James said, referring to the 21-point advantage in the third quarter the Cavs let slip away. “But me personally, I didn’t have it. That’s all I’ve got to say about my performance.”
Game 4 is set to tip on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. inside Quicken Loans Arena. We’ll just have to wait and see if James and the Cavs, who now hold a 2-1 series lead, can get back on track.