LeBron James: Cavaliers Have Work to Do vs. Raptors; 'Don't Cheat the Game Gods'
The Cleveland Cavaliers may lead the Toronto Raptors 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but LeBron James isn't looking past Saturday night's Game 3.
"You can't fast-track the process," James said Saturday, according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "We got to prepare ... and then we got to go out and win it in between the lines. But there's no fast-tracking the process where you say, 'OK, let's try to end this thing so we can get some rest.' You do that, and you get a lot of rest. You do that, and you can be home [for the summer] and end up losing 4-2. So, that ain't it. No. You don't do that. You don't cheat the game gods. I've never been a part of that."
Based on the way James has performed to this point in the series, it's hard to envision him coasting just because Cleveland won Games 1 and 2 at Air Canada Centre.
The four-time MVP has shouldered a massive load throughout the postseason, and he made a statement back in Toronto by averaging 34.5 points, 13.5 assists and 9.5 rebounds in 43.7 minutes per game.
With a 43-point, 14-assist, eight-rebound outing in Thursday's 128-110 Game 2 win, LeBron increased his playoff averages to a league-high 34.4 points, 9.9 boards and 9.0 dimes with 54.8 percent shooting from the field through nine appearances.
James emphasized Saturday that the Cavaliers can't get complacent—especially on defense—just because they've established a nice cushion.
"We still got some work to do," James said, per McMenamin. "I think we're playing some good ball. I think more than anything, through these first nine games of the postseason, defensively we've been pretty good. Last game we allowed them to shoot high in the 50s. We're not happy about that. We got to do a better job of that."
Game 3 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET from Quicken Loans Arena.
