CLEVELAND — LeBron James shook off an atrocious shooting start, withstood the Atlanta Hawks’ gritty comeback and battled cramps and injuries to record a triple-double and the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals with a 114-111 overtime victory Sunday night.
James missed his first 10 shots, but finished with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. The Cavs needed every single one of them to hold off the top-seeded Hawks, who fought Cleveland until the final seconds despite being without injured shooter Kyle Korver and losing Al Horford, who was ejected in the first half.
James, who favored his right leg for most of the fourth quarter and asked to come out of the game in OT before re-considering, hit a 3-pointer with 36.4 seconds left to put the Cavs ahead by one, and the superstar dropped a runner with 12.8 left to make it 114-111.
“He just wouldn’t let us lose,” coach David Blatt said.
James received treatment following the game, and the four-time league MVP grimaced as he took his seat on the podium for the postgame news conference.
“I’ve been better,” he said when asked how he was feeling. “I play to exhaustion. I give as much as I can give, and sometimes the body just shuts down.”
Down 10 in the fourth, the Hawks showed championship toughness and nearly pulled off a win that would have guaranteed them another home game Thursday. They’ll have to dig deep again, and they are facing long odds to win the series, as no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit.
“I’m very proud of the way our guys competed,” coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Thumbnail photo via David Richard/USA TODAY Sports Images
