BOSTON — The Cleveland Cavaliers got their doors blown off in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, but their leader isn’t worried.
Following the Cavaliers’ 108-83 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday at TD Garden, LeBron James maintained a strong level of confidence in he and his team despite the lopsided defeat in the series opener.
“I have zero level of concern at this stage,” James said. “I didn’t go to college, so it’s not March Madness. You know, you get better throughout the series. But I’ve been down 0-1, I’ve been down 0-2. I’ve been down before in the postseason. But for me, there’s never no level of concern no matter how bad I played tonight with seven turnovers, how inefficient I was shooting the ball.
“I’m just as confident going into a series whether it’s a 0-0 series or I’m down 0-1. So we have another opportunity to be better as a ball club coming in Tuesday night, and we’ll see what happens.”
It’s worth keeping in mind that Sunday marked the first time the Celtics and Cavaliers have met since Feb. 11. Both clubs have changed a lot since then, and Game 1 provided an opportunity for the two teams to feel each other out.
“For me, Game 1 has always been a feel-out game for me, if you’ve ever followed my history,” James said. “So I’ve got a good sense of the way they played me today and how I’ll play into Game 2.”
Given James’ remarkable track record, it comes as no surprise that he’s not wavering after one loss. He did come back from a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit to beat one of the greatest teams in league history after all. But if Game 2 plays out anywhere near similar to Game 1, James’ tone could change.
