The heavy lifting LeBron James is doing in the NBA Finals might be taking its toll.
James was a monster in Game 3, but it still wasn’t enough as the Golden State Warriors finished the game on an 11-0 run to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
The stats show James’ impact in the game, but he did miss a few wide-open layups in the second half and definitely deferred to guard Kyrie Irving at times. In James’ defense, Irving had a tremendous game, too.
But Warriors forward Draymond Green thinks James might have hit the wall down the stretch, saying in an NBA TV interview after the game that he thought James tired in the second half and the Warriors pounced.
The second-half numbers do seem to support Green’s claim. After scoring a game-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting in the first half, James went cold in the second half. Although he was plus-3 in the second half, he made just 4 of his 13 shots with a pair of turnovers. Most importantly, he was on the floor for the entire fourth quarter and missed a pair of layups in the final frame.
If James has anything at all left in the tank, he must empty it Friday night in a do-or-die Game 4 … and then again in Game 5, Game 6 and Game 7.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
