After dropping Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James noted that he had “zero level of concern.” Now, however, with his team facing an 0-2 deficit, James admits that playoff losses cause him to “lose sleep,” according to a report from Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
“You’ve been in a 2-0 hole before,” a reporter said to James after Saturday’s shootaround at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “Does that bring any comfort?”
“I mean, I lose sleep,” James replied honestly. “At the end of the day, when you lose any game in the postseason… I mean, it’s never ‘comfort.’ Playoffs is never comfort. There’s nothing about the playoffs that’s comfortable until you either win it all or you lose and go into the summer. So, for me, it’s always a day-to-day grind to figure out ways that you can be better.”
For the record, there have been 19 teams out of 300 to recover from an 0-2 deficit in NBA history. James has a claim in two of those instances, including Cleveland’s 2007 team that defeated the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals, as well as the 2016 squad — a championship run that Cavs fans will never forget.
James has been on an absolute tear in these playoffs. Through Cleveland’s 13 games in this postseason, the King has racked up averages of 33.4 points on 54.0 percent shooting from the field (29.4 percent from beyond the arc), 9.2 assists, 9.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks in 40.8 minutes per.
James has racked up five 40-point games in this playoff run. Three of those 40-point performances came in triple-double form.
Saturday’s Game 3 matchup is set to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 8:30 p.m. EST. It’s basically a must-win for the Cavs. Let’s see if they can answer the bell.