INDEPENDENCE, OHIO– According to LeBron James, the Cavs weren’t ready for the playoffs on Sunday.
It seems odd to say that about the three-time defending conference champions, but considering four of the players in their current 10-man rotation were acquired at the Feb. 8 trade deadline, it isn’t really that surprising.
The Cavs only have four players remaining (James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and JR Smith) from their 2016 title run team. This is the first playoff experience for Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, and guys like Jeff Green and Jose Calderon who have experience haven’t had much success.
But according to James, the team is ready now.
“I think we spent so much time trying to figure out who we were in the regular season and getting the right lineups and guys in and out and things of that nature, we could never build for the playoffs,” James said. “It was kind of like, build for the next game. So the postseason finally hit us and it hit us very well. And I think that can be the best teacher for us to know exactly what we should expect tonight.”
Throughout the season we have seen the Cavs get off to slow starts, or come out slow after halftime. In a way, it has become a rather unfortunate identity characteristic, and one that came back to bite them in their 98-80 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1.
“After the first quarter we finally got into the game and held them to 65 points,” James said. “So I think now we know the playoffs is here, the playoffs is back and we know how hard you gotta play to start the game. We’ve had games in the regular season where we had first quarters like that and we still was able to make runs and sometimes win the game, sometimes lose them. In the postseason you can’t have those type of quarters.”
Despite the Cavs’ Game 1 struggles, it’s important to note that James has never lost an opening round series. Considering the fact that the Cavs have struggled to win games in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, avoiding a 0-2 series deficit (something James has also never experienced) by getting a win tonight will be big.
But according to James, he can’t get too ahead of himself when it comes to thinking about getting to the next round.
“It’s game by game,” he said. “I can’t think about advancing. I’m thinking about tonight, what my job is, how I can help change the game, help affect the game, try to be as dominant as I can. I don’t ever think about advancing. I think that’s too much karma for the basketball gods. I don’t play with the gods like that.”
The Cavs and Pacers tip off at Quicken Loans Arena tonight at 7 p.m.
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