LeBron downplays blowout playoff loss
LEBRON James says he’s not worried after the Cleveland Cavaliers were routed 108-83 yesterday by the Boston Celtics in the opening game of the NBA Eastern Conference final.
But the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, trying to reach his eighth consecutive NBA Finals, admits the Cavaliers need to make some changes before the best-ofseven playoff series resumes in Boston today.
“I have zero level of concern at this stage,” James said.
“You get better throughout the series. I’ve been down 0-1. I’ve been down 0-2. I’ve been down before.
“Game one has always been a feel-out game for me. I got a sense of how they are going to play me and I can make some changes going into game two.
“We’ll see ways we can be better and get our offence into a better rhythm.”
Jaylen Brown scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Al Horford added 20 points for the Celtics, who seized a 36-18 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, inflicting the second-worst game one playoff loss James has ever suffered.
“We were great,” Horford said.
“We came out with a lot of energy. We fed off the crowd and we kept it going throughout the game. We’re just out here playing hard and doing the best we can.”
Marcus Morris had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Boston and led a swarming defensive effort that shut down Cavs playmaker James.
“We just have to make it hard for him,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Our guys played with good aggression.”