LeBron James shot 8-25 with seven turnovers. Kyrie Irving shot 3-13 and played with a sprained ankle and foot. The Cavaliers shot 39% from the field. And yet, they were right there in the game despite all that didn’t go right.
J.R. Smith hit a clutch three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to knot the game at 96 apiece. Derrick Rose bailed the Bulls out with a bank shot that was more luck than skill, and the Cavs returned to their hotels down 2-1 in the series.
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Following Game 3, the Cavs were supposed to have a solid practice on Saturday to get ready for Sunday. Instead, head coach David Blatt decided to “get guys off their feet” and take part in a yoga session together.
Dave McMenamin reported that the yoga session was likely a good idea by Blatt.
Cavs coach David Blatt cancelled practice Saturday to "get the guys off their feet." They had a group yoga session at the hotel instead.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 9, 2015
Amazing how many people are criticizing the Cavs' yoga session on my timeline. You do realize that PJax did same thing w/ Bulls/Lakers?
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 9, 2015
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The last time Cleveland faced a similar level of adversity, Blatt took them to a team bowling session in the midst of a six game losing streak dropping them to a record of 19-20. The result then? 12 straight victories, which sparked the Cavs for the rest of the season.
“We’ve just got to stay with it,” Blatt said. “We’ve got to continue to believe and trust in each other and our (luck) will turn around.”
We can’t expect the Cavs to win every game this postseason, but LeBron James has vowed to be a different player the rest of the way.
“It’s an emergency every playoff game. As the leader of the team, I can’t be down about anything,” James said Saturday after the team had a film session.
“Even though I hate losing — it was tough for me to sleep last night — I’m not going to be shattered, not around these guys. They need my leadership more than ever, more than anybody on the team. I will not show any weakness.”
Cavs fans can only hope that his teammates follow his lead as the Cavs try to tie the series at two games apiece and regain home-court advantage.