LeBron James: Game 1 vs. Warriors Was One of the Toughest Losses of My Career
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James didn't downplay the emotional significance of his team's 124-114 overtime defeat to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals.
James told reporters Saturday the result was one of the "toughest losses" of his career but added he "feels excited about the opportunity to be better, be great" over the rest of the series, per The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears.
In a moment that has since been widely mocked throughout social media, swingman JR Smith appeared to forget the score was tied at 107 in the final seconds of regulation. Rather than shoot or pass after he grabbed an offensive rebound, Smith instead ran out beyond the three-point line with the ball, which drained the remaining 4.7 seconds from the clock and prevented Cleveland from getting off a shot.
On one hand, the Cavs narrowly missed out on a road win over the heavily favored Warriors. That should offer some optimism about their chances over the rest of the Finals.
On the other hand, James scored 51 points, and Cleveland played an excellent game against the defending champions. Yet it still wasn't enough to secure a victory. It's hard to see how James or the Cavaliers could put together a better performance—let alone do so enough times to win a best-of-seven series.
The Cavs climbed out of a bigger hole in the 2016 Finals, but Game 2 might be as much of a must-win situation for Cleveland as a non-elimination game can be. Falling down 2-0 to Golden State would be an almost insurmountable gap to overcome.
