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LeBron's struggles only delay the inevitable


"We got a slice of some humble pie," said Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving after Monday's game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The quote comes after he and his Cavs teammates lost 111-108 to the Boston Celtics, squandering a 21-point, third quarter lead to a team playing without its best player Isaiah Thomas.
There's likely a number of valid reasons why Cleveland lost, but the for the most obvious reason look no further than No. 23 for the Cavs, LeBron James.
That humble pie Irving mentioned - the biggest slice went to James locker after the game.
In 45 minutes played, Cleveland's best player scored just 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting against Boston. Fans took notice of his struggles and went to Twitter.

That's unacceptable for a player averaging 32 points per game in this year's playoffs, on top of a 28 ppg career playoff average, according to Basketball Reference.
It's even more peculiar when you examine how well his teammates played.
Irving had his best game of the series, finishing with 29 points and seven assists. Forward Kevin Love splashed seven three-pointers in a 28 point and 10 rebound performance. Even role player Tristan Thompson had a big double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds (seven on offense).
Essentially, if James played anywhere near his averages, Cleveland wins game 3 and is one step closer to the eagerly anticipated third consecutive NBA Finals meeting against the Golden State Warriors. Those Warriors by the way, are just one win away from sweeping San Antonio and clinching another Finals appearance.
ESPN put Cleveland's loss in perspective.

The Cavs will still very likely win the series (hopefully sooner rather than later), but James critics received a little more ammo to criticize him for the time being.



Expect James to return to form during Game 4 on TNT at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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