If the Cleveland Cavaliers hope to win Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics, they’ll need better performances from several players, including LeBron James. Though the King has been spectacular for much of this postseason, his performance on Sunday was nothing to write home about, as they say.
James logged 36 minutes in Game 1 — an embarrassing 108-83 loss — scoring 15 points on 5-16 shooting from the field (0-5 from beyond the arc), nine assists, seven rebounds and two blocks. Furthermore, James committed seven turnovers. When the dust settled inside TD Garden, his plus/minus rating had fallen all the way to -32.
Following Monday’s practice session in Boston, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson commented on what they expect from James in Game 2.
“Usually when Bron has these kind of games, the next game he does something legendary,” Thompson told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “But at the same time, we can’t rely on that. [We’ve got] our job to do as other players. We’ve got to help him and be effective. The more effective we are, the more it opens up for him.”
Thompson is right. James is not the only member of the team who will need to step their game up. As a team, the Cavs finished Sunday’s game with a 4-of-26 mark from downtown.
As most hoops fans know, James is no stranger to sub-par Game 1 performances. And in fact, he noted that he has “zero level of concern.”
Like Thompson, Love is expecting a better showing from James in Game 2.
“I expect him to have a big response,” Love said. “He’s always done it even before he came back to Cleveland, and since I’ve been here, he’s always responded big. I imagine it’ll be a lot like Game 2 against Indiana. We had a really tough loss; he came out and played really well and started that game off extremely well. He’s going to approach this game as one he’s going to have to lead and bounce back.”
Tuesday night’s Game 2 matchup is set to tip inside TD Garden at 8:30 p.m. EST. Let’s see if James and the Cavs can bounce back.
