The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t panicking after the Chicago Bulls’ 99-92 series-opening win Monday night, but LeBron James and company have some soul-searching to do.
James flirted with a triple-double—posting a statline of 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists—but was none too happy with his play in the Game 1 loss.
LeBron. who shot 9-of-22 and coughed up the rock six times, promises to be “much better” in a now must-win Game 2 Wednesday night.
Per the NEOMG:
With 2:09 left of the Cavaliers’ 99-92 loss to the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal, James dribbled along the left side before jumping and turning in the air. […] He was apparently looking for Kyrie Irving, but the ball went to Derrick Rose instead. It was a six-point game at the time. […] With 51.9 seconds remaining and Cleveland trailing by just four – the Bulls didn’t take advantage of James’ ill-advised turnover – James blew a layup. The shot, like many he took in the paint, occurred in traffic, but it was a layup nonetheless.
“I have to be better. I wasn’t that good tonight,” James said. ” I have to be much better.”
“I think offensively we will be much better going into Game 2,” James said. “A lot of things I need to see on film before I can answer a lot of questions, but I think offensively we played the game too fast. We didn’t turn the ball over. I mean, I had over two thirds of the turnovers myself. We didn’t turn the ball over and that’s a good thing.”
